Raymond James Financial Inc. Buys New Stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 745,178 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock, valued at approximately $37,311,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BUD. Callan Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 10,607 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock valued at $531,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 5,329 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock worth $267,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 25.7% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,298 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 120.6% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 772 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 422 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Investment Consultants LLC grew its stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 28,993 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock worth $1,452,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. 5.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Argus raised shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from $65.00 to $55.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Berenberg Bank initiated coverage on shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.00.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Stock Performance

NYSE BUD traded up $0.91 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $65.55. The stock had a trading volume of 3,321,557 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,870,358. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.69. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a 52-week low of $45.94 and a 52-week high of $67.49. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $60.23 and a 200 day moving average of $56.66. The stock has a market cap of $117.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.80.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The consumer goods maker reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.13. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV had a return on equity of 15.29% and a net margin of 10.98%. The company had revenue of $14.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.07 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV will post 3.37 earnings per share for the current year.

About Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV produces, distributes, exports, markets, and sells beer and beverages. It offers a portfolio of approximately 500 beer brands, which primarily include Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois; Beck's, Hoegaarden, Leffe, and Michelob Ultra; and Aguila, Antarctica, Bud Light, Brahma, Cass, Castle, Castle Lite, Cristal, Harbin, Jupiler, Modelo Especial, Quilmes, Victoria, Sedrin, and Skol brands.