Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Sunday.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Ambev from $2.50 to $3.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $2.88 target price on shares of Ambev in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ambev from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2.69.

Ambev Stock Performance

Ambev stock opened at $2.73 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $2.91 and its 200 day moving average is $2.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.64. Ambev has a 1-year low of $2.10 and a 1-year high of $3.24.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.28 billion. Ambev had a net margin of 17.75% and a return on equity of 16.41%. Research analysts forecast that Ambev will post 0.18 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ambev

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Modern Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ambev in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Monument Capital Management purchased a new stake in Ambev during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Ambev in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Ambev in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Bensler LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ambev in the third quarter valued at $27,000. 8.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ambev

Ambev (NYSE: ABEV) is a Brazilian-based beverage company that produces, distributes and markets a broad portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The company’s core business centers on brewing and selling beer, alongside a range of soft drinks, bottled water, energy drinks and other malt-based beverages. Headquartered in São Paulo, Ambev operates an integrated value chain that covers manufacturing, packaging, logistics and commercial sales to retail, on-premise and institutional customers.

The company traces its origins to the 1999 merger of two historic Brazilian breweries, and later became part of the broader global brewing group through subsequent industry consolidations.