Scotia Capital Inc. Sells 2,600,820 Shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Scotia Capital Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) by 88.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 351,027 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,600,820 shares during the period. Scotia Capital Inc.'s holdings in Ambev were worth $649,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of Ambev by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 84,868 shares of the company's stock worth $157,000 after acquiring an additional 5,900 shares during the last quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD lifted its stake in shares of Ambev by 40.4% during the 4th quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 20,810 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 5,993 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR grew its stake in Ambev by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 173,066 shares of the company's stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 6,078 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in Ambev by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 85,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $158,000 after acquiring an additional 6,164 shares during the period. Finally, PDS Planning Inc lifted its position in Ambev by 18.3% during the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 41,244 shares of the company's stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 6,374 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 8.13% of the company's stock.

Ambev Price Performance

ABEV traded up $0.08 on Friday, hitting $2.41. 72,208,528 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 27,504,516. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.36, a PEG ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Ambev S.A. has a 12 month low of $1.76 and a 12 month high of $2.56. The business has a 50-day moving average of $2.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $2.11.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.06 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.42 billion. Ambev had a return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 17.02%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were issued a $0.0221 dividend. This represents a $0.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. Ambev's dividend payout ratio is presently 52.94%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ABEV has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com began coverage on Ambev in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Ambev from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Bank of America cut shares of Ambev from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ambev currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $2.45.

About Ambev

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.