Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have given Ambev a consensus "Hold" rating (six analysts total: 1 sell, 4 hold, 1 buy) with an average 12‑month target price of $2.8433.
• Ambev's latest quarter reported EPS $0.05 met estimates and revenue of $4.50 billion beat consensus, while analysts forecast about $0.18 EPS for the current year.
• Insider De Lacerda Eduardo Cavalcanti sold 152,386 shares at roughly $2.85 (≈$434,300), reducing their ownership by about 40.56%.

Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the six research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $2.8433.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ABEV shares. Barclays lifted their target price on Ambev from $2.50 to $3.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group set a $2.65 target price on Ambev and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings raised Ambev from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Ambev from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th.

Ambev Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of NYSE:ABEV opened at $3.06 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $48.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.65. The stock's 50-day moving average is $3.00 and its 200-day moving average is $2.65. Ambev has a 52-week low of $2.10 and a 52-week high of $3.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.05. Ambev had a return on equity of 16.41% and a net margin of 17.75%.The company had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.28 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Ambev will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider De Lacerda Eduardo Cavalcanti sold 152,386 shares of Ambev stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.85, for a total transaction of $434,300.10. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 223,340 shares of the company's stock, valued at $636,519. This trade represents a 40.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ambev

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Oxbow Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ambev during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,805,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Ambev by 12.0% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 36,058,376 shares of the company's stock valued at $80,410,000 after purchasing an additional 3,864,844 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Ambev by 118.7% during the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,659,347 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,986,000 after purchasing an additional 1,443,232 shares in the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda boosted its holdings in Ambev by 216.3% during the third quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda now owns 1,784,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,979,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220,006 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eldred Rock Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Ambev by 11.6% during the third quarter. Eldred Rock Partners LLC now owns 3,962,046 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,926,000 after purchasing an additional 412,189 shares in the last quarter. 8.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ambev Company Profile

Ambev NYSE: ABEV is a Brazilian-based beverage company that produces, distributes and markets a broad portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The company's core business centers on brewing and selling beer, alongside a range of soft drinks, bottled water, energy drinks and other malt-based beverages. Headquartered in São Paulo, Ambev operates an integrated value chain that covers manufacturing, packaging, logistics and commercial sales to retail, on-premise and institutional customers.

The company traces its origins to the 1999 merger of two historic Brazilian breweries, and later became part of the broader global brewing group through subsequent industry consolidations.

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