Raymond James Financial Inc. Takes $3.52 Million Position in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 1,904,155 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,523,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aigen Investment Management LP boosted its position in Ambev by 41.5% during the 4th quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 53,327 shares of the company's stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 15,627 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. acquired a new stake in Ambev in the fourth quarter worth about $73,000. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. acquired a new stake in Ambev in the fourth quarter worth about $68,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in Ambev by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 85,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $158,000 after buying an additional 6,164 shares during the period. Finally, Sage Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new position in Ambev during the 4th quarter valued at about $204,000. Institutional investors own 8.13% of the company's stock.

Ambev Trading Up 2.0 %

NYSE ABEV traded up $0.05 on Monday, hitting $2.33. 23,381,487 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 26,260,883. The company's 50-day moving average price is $2.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $2.12. The company has a market capitalization of $36.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.92, a P/E/G ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.94. Ambev S.A. has a 52-week low of $1.76 and a 52-week high of $2.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

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Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.42 billion. Ambev had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 16.12%. Research analysts predict that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 EPS for the current year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued 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 dividend yield of 3.79%. Ambev's dividend payout ratio is 52.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ABEV has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Ambev in a report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Bank of America downgraded Ambev from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays decreased their price target on Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Ambev in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $2.45.

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.