Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD)

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock investors purchased 13,978 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 233% compared to the average volume of 4,198 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on BUD. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from $68.50 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Citigroup raised shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Barclays upgraded Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and raised their target price for the company from $68.00 to $88.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $79.00.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Price Performance

BUD stock traded down $1.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $48.85. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,344,909 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,524,055. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The company's 50 day moving average is $54.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.51. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a fifty-two week low of $48.55 and a fifty-two week high of $67.49. The stock has a market cap of $87.79 billion, a PE ratio of 15.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.08.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 37.7% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 57,870 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock worth $3,836,000 after acquiring an additional 15,837 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 6.0% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,307,014 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock valued at $683,252,000 after purchasing an additional 587,329 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the third quarter worth about $1,865,000. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 61.9% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 61,061 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock worth $4,048,000 after purchasing an additional 23,348 shares during the period. Finally, Brophy Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in the 3rd quarter valued at about $946,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 5.53% of the company's stock.

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.