Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Receives Average Rating of "Reduce" from Brokerages

Shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Reduce" by the seven ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and six have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $2.35.

Several research analysts have issued reports on ABEV shares. HSBC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Ambev in a report on Friday, August 1st. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Ambev to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on Ambev from $2.50 to $2.20 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 20th.

Ambev Stock Performance

NYSE ABEV opened at $2.31 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $36.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.41, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. Ambev has a twelve month low of $1.76 and a twelve month high of $2.63. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $2.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2.36.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.03. Ambev had a return on equity of 15.39% and a net margin of 16.18%.The firm had revenue of $3.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.84 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that Ambev will post 0.18 EPS for the current year.

Ambev Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a -- dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be paid a $0.023 dividend. This represents a yield of 660.0%. This is a boost from Ambev's previous -- dividend of $0.02. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. Ambev's payout ratio is presently 31.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ambev

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of Ambev by 9.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 27,505,192 shares of the company's stock worth $66,288,000 after purchasing an additional 2,479,310 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Ambev by 105.8% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 16,170,388 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,677,000 after acquiring an additional 8,312,561 shares during the period. Private Management Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ambev by 6.4% during the first quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 15,439,216 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,973,000 after acquiring an additional 926,982 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its holdings in shares of Ambev by 74.8% in the 2nd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 13,409,316 shares of the company's stock worth $32,624,000 after purchasing an additional 5,740,155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Ambev by 17.8% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,757,412 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,075,000 after purchasing an additional 1,170,397 shares during the period. 8.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.