Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Receives $2.45 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the five research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $2.45.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ABEV. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America downgraded shares of Ambev from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Ambev from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Ambev in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock.

Ambev Stock Performance

Shares of Ambev stock traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $2.25. The company's stock had a trading volume of 23,886,390 shares, compared to its average volume of 26,923,234. Ambev has a one year low of $1.76 and a one year high of $2.56. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $2.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $2.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market cap of $35.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.68.

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Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.06 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $4.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.42 billion. Ambev had a return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 17.02%. As a group, analysts expect that Ambev will post 0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.0221 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.93%. Ambev's payout ratio is 52.94%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ambev

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Ambev by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,425,374 shares of the company's stock worth $25,438,000 after purchasing an additional 878,900 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in Ambev by 132.9% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 1,976,147 shares of the company's stock worth $4,822,000 after buying an additional 1,127,719 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in Ambev by 18.3% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 54,013 shares of the company's stock worth $129,000 after buying an additional 8,350 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Ambev by 298.1% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 802,016 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,957,000 after buying an additional 600,545 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Management Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ambev by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 14,512,234 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,848,000 after acquiring an additional 1,083,882 shares during the last quarter. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ambev Company Profile

Ambev SA, through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, distribution, and sale of beer, draft beer, carbonated soft drinks, malt and food, other alcoholic beverages, and non-alcoholic and non-carbonated products in Brazil, Central America and Caribbean, Latin America South, and Canada. It offers beer primarily under the Skol, Brahma, Antarctica, Brahva, Budweiser, Bud Light, Beck, Leffe, Hoegaarden, Balboa ICE, Balboa, Atlas Golden Light, Atlas, Bucanero, Cristal, Mayabe, Presidente, Presidente Light, Brahma Light, Bohemia, The One, Corona, Modelo Especial, Stella Artois, Quilmes Clásica, Paceña, Taquiña, Huari, Becker, Cusqueña, Michelob Ultra, Busch, Pilsen, Ouro Fino, Bud 66, Banks, Deputy, Patricia, Labatt Blue, Alexander Keith's, and Kokanee brands.