Scotia Capital Inc. Trims Position in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Scotia Capital Inc. decreased its position in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) by 88.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 351,027 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,600,820 shares during the period. Scotia Capital Inc.'s holdings in Ambev were worth $649,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in Ambev by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 84,868 shares of the company's stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 5,900 shares during the last quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD raised its holdings in shares of Ambev by 40.4% during the fourth quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 20,810 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 5,993 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR lifted its position in Ambev by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 173,066 shares of the company's stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 6,078 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in Ambev by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 85,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $158,000 after purchasing an additional 6,164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PDS Planning Inc grew its position in Ambev by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 41,244 shares of the company's stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 6,374 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Ambev in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Bank of America lowered shares of Ambev from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Ambev in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley downgraded Ambev from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Ambev has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $2.45.

Ambev Stock Performance

NYSE ABEV traded up $0.08 on Friday, hitting $2.41. 72,208,528 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 27,449,334. The firm has a market cap of $37.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.36, a P/E/G ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.68. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $2.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $2.12. Ambev S.A. has a fifty-two week low of $1.76 and a fifty-two week high of $2.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

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

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a dividend of $0.0221 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.67%. Ambev's payout ratio is currently 52.94%.

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.