Ambev S.A. to Issue -- Dividend of $0.02 (NYSE:ABEV)

Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) declared a -- dividend on Monday, May 12th, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of 0.0219 per share on Thursday, July 17th. This represents a dividend yield of 5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th.

Ambev has a dividend payout ratio of 83.3% indicating that its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the company's earnings decline. Research analysts expect Ambev to earn $0.17 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.15 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 88.2%.

Ambev Stock Performance

Shares of ABEV traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $2.56. The company had a trading volume of 18,751,450 shares, compared to its average volume of 29,406,180. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.19, a PEG ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.80. Ambev has a 52-week low of $1.76 and a 52-week high of $2.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $2.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $2.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.04. The company had revenue of $3.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.40 billion. Ambev had a return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 17.02%. On average, analysts expect that Ambev will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on ABEV. UBS Group lowered shares of Ambev from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays upped their price target on Ambev from $2.00 to $2.50 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. StockNews.com began coverage on Ambev in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, Bank of America cut Ambev from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $2.70.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Ambev during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ambev by 62.5% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,399,472 shares of the company's stock worth $5,591,000 after acquiring an additional 922,566 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Ambev by 13.2% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 5,000,107 shares of the company's stock worth $11,650,000 after purchasing an additional 582,153 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.13% of the company's stock.

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.