Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Trims Holdings in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) by 67.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 67,825 shares of the company's stock after selling 141,833 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Ambev were worth $125,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ambev by 62.5% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 55,400 shares of the company's stock worth $135,000 after acquiring an additional 21,300 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Ambev by 45.1% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,227 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 5,979 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in Ambev during the 3rd quarter worth about $148,000. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Ambev by 72.8% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 1,624,633 shares of the company's stock worth $3,964,000 after purchasing an additional 684,439 shares during the period. Finally, West Family Investments Inc. raised its position in Ambev by 333.4% in the 3rd quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 55,184 shares of the company's stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 42,450 shares in the last quarter. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Remove Ads

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com began coverage on Ambev in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Bank of America downgraded shares of Ambev from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $2.45.

Ambev Stock Down 2.8 %

ABEV stock traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $2.30. 41,799,081 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 25,933,746. The company has a market cap of $36.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.20. Ambev S.A. has a 1-year low of $1.76 and a 1-year high of $2.56. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $1.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $2.12.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 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. On average, equities 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given 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 3.84%. Ambev's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.