HighTower Advisors LLC Sells 5,921 Shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

HighTower Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 11.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 48,092 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,921 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ambev were worth $89,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ABEV has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America lowered Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays reduced their price objective 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, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Ambev in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2.45.

Ambev Stock Down 4.8 %

ABEV stock opened at $2.31 on Friday. Ambev S.A. has a twelve month low of $1.76 and a twelve month high of $2.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company has a market cap of $36.31 billion, a PE ratio of 12.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.68. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $2.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $2.13.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.06 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.42 billion. Ambev had a return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 17.02%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.0221 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.83%. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.94%.

Ambev 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.