Short Interest in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Rises By 55.1%

Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 68,220,000 shares, a growth of 55.1% from the September 30th total of 43,980,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 28,040,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.4 days. Currently, 0.4% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ambev

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in shares of Ambev by 27.7% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 34,133,000 shares of the company's stock worth $69,973,000 after acquiring an additional 7,412,395 shares during the period. Seafarer Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Ambev by 12.3% in the 2nd quarter. Seafarer Capital Partners LLC now owns 28,299,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,013,000 after purchasing an additional 3,100,000 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ambev by 29.4% in the 2nd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 18,385,312 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,690,000 after buying an additional 4,179,978 shares during the period. Brandes Investment Partners LP grew its position in shares of Ambev by 23.9% during the second quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 15,456,266 shares of the company's stock worth $32,024,000 after buying an additional 2,982,621 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kiltearn Partners LLP increased its stake in shares of Ambev by 43.3% during the second quarter. Kiltearn Partners LLP now owns 14,575,900 shares of the company's stock worth $29,881,000 after buying an additional 4,407,800 shares during the period. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ABEV shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Ambev in a research note on Friday, October 18th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price target on Ambev from $3.20 to $2.90 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $2.75.

Ambev Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE:ABEV traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $2.25. 14,546,246 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 18,837,734. Ambev has a twelve month low of $2.01 and a twelve month high of $3.00. The business has a 50-day moving average of $2.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $2.26. The company has a market capitalization of $35.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.84, a PEG ratio of 5.34 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.03. The company had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.56 billion. Ambev had a return on equity of 16.94% and a net margin of 17.93%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.03 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Ambev will post 0.17 EPS for the current year.

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.