Cerity Partners LLC Boosts Stake in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) by 55.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 315,451 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 112,616 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Ambev were worth $584,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Ambev by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,425,374 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,438,000 after acquiring an additional 878,900 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 period. Private Management Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ambev by 8.1% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Ambev by 76.9% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 52,625 shares of the company's stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 22,880 shares during the period. Finally, RWC Asset Management LLP boosted its stake in shares of Ambev by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP now owns 13,063,556 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,168,000 after purchasing an additional 552,220 shares in the last quarter. 8.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ambev Price Performance

NYSE:ABEV traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $2.46. 42,807,964 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 27,968,621. Ambev S.A. has a 52-week low of $1.76 and a 52-week high of $2.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $2.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.12. The company has a market cap of $38.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.64, a P/E/G ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.68.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last released 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). Ambev had a return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 17.02%. The company had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.42 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were paid a dividend of $0.0221 per share. This represents a $0.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. Ambev's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays cut their price target on Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Ambev in a report on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Ambev in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group downgraded Ambev from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Bank of America downgraded Ambev from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ambev has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $2.45.

Ambev 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.