Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Takes Position in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp acquired a new stake in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 315,609 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $584,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp grew its position in Ambev by 9.2% during 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 holdings in shares of Ambev by 132.9% during 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 increased its position in Ambev by 18.3% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 54,013 shares of the company's stock valued at $129,000 after acquiring an additional 8,350 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in Ambev by 298.1% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 802,016 shares of the company's stock worth $1,957,000 after acquiring an additional 600,545 shares during the period. Finally, Private Management Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ambev by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 14,512,234 shares of the company's stock worth $26,848,000 after purchasing an additional 1,083,882 shares during the period. 8.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ABEV has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Ambev in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Ambev in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America cut Ambev from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $2.45.

Ambev Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ABEV traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $2.31. 48,506,515 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 26,537,317. Ambev S.A. has a twelve month low of $1.76 and a twelve month 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $2.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $2.12. The stock has a market cap of $36.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.81, a PEG ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.68.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last issued 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 business had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.42 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The company 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 $0.0221 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.83%. Ambev's payout ratio is currently 52.94%.

About Ambev

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.