Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the six ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $2.68.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Ambev from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Ambev from $3.00 to $2.50 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 9th.

Institutional Trading of Ambev

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Perpetual Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Ambev by 10.1% during the 1st quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 65,003,922 shares of the company’s stock valued at $161,210,000 after buying an additional 5,943,974 shares during the period. Seafarer Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Ambev by 29.9% in the first quarter. Seafarer Capital Partners LLC now owns 25,199,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,494,000 after purchasing an additional 5,800,000 shares in the last quarter. Ruffer LLP increased its holdings in Ambev by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Ruffer LLP now owns 51,517,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,494,000 after buying an additional 5,699,184 shares during the last quarter. Oldfield Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Ambev during the first quarter valued at approximately $12,157,000. Finally, Kiltearn Partners LLP raised its stake in Ambev by 73.3% during the first quarter. Kiltearn Partners LLP now owns 10,168,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,607,000 after buying an additional 4,300,000 shares in the last quarter. 8.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ambev Stock Performance

ABEV opened at $2.08 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $2.24 and its 200 day moving average is $2.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. Ambev has a 12-month low of $2.01 and a 12-month high of $3.22. The company has a market cap of $32.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.95, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.06.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05. Ambev had a return on equity of 17.53% and a net margin of 18.25%. The company had revenue of $4.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ambev will post 0.18 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, other non-alcoholic beverages, malt, and food products. It offers beer primarily under the Skol, Brahma, Antarctica, Brahva, Budweiser, Bud Light, Beck, Leffe and Hoegaarden, 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, Banks, Deputy, Patricia, Labatt Blue, Alexander Keith's, and Kokanee brands.