Ranmore Fund Management Ltd Makes New $7.61 Million Investment in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Ranmore Fund Management Ltd acquired a new position in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 4,114,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,611,000. Ambev makes up approximately 7.1% of Ranmore Fund Management Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MCIA Inc bought a new stake in Ambev in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Insight Inv LLC bought a new stake in Ambev in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Naviter Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Ambev during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in Ambev in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Angeles Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ambev in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 8.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ambev Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of ABEV stock traded down $0.02 on Friday, hitting $2.25. The stock had a trading volume of 23,886,390 shares, compared to its average volume of 26,923,234. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The business has a 50 day moving average of $2.14 and a 200 day moving average of $2.12. Ambev S.A. has a 12-month low of $1.76 and a 12-month high of $2.56. The stock has a market cap of $35.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.68.

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

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.93%. Ambev's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ABEV. Barclays lowered their target price 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. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Ambev in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Ambev in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Ambev from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Bank of America downgraded Ambev from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $2.45.

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.