Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has received an average recommendation of "Buy" from analysts, with one hold rating, six buy ratings, and three strong buy ratings.
• The average 12-month price target among analysts for the stock is $71.50, and recent upgrades include a boost from BNP Paribas to a "strong-buy" rating.
• The company's shares closed at $63.11, with a 52-week range between $45.94 and $72.13, indicating current stock performance amid a backdrop of hedge funds increasing their positions in the company.

Shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Buy" from the ten brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $71.50.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on BUD shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $70.10 to $88.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, May 18th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BUD. Dodge & Cox lifted its position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 2.8% during the first quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 41,116,138 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock valued at $2,531,109,000 after purchasing an additional 1,119,308 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 23.7% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 3,344,451 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock worth $229,831,000 after acquiring an additional 641,158 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 7,569,492 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock worth $379,004,000 after acquiring an additional 505,206 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the second quarter worth approximately $33,999,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 4.5% in the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,663,933 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock worth $732,826,000 after buying an additional 454,621 shares during the period. 5.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Price Performance

Shares of BUD stock traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $62.60. The stock had a trading volume of 1,490,537 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,470,889. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $65.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a 12 month low of $45.94 and a 12 month high of $72.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $112.50 billion, a PE ratio of 17.58, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.79.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The consumer goods maker reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.04. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV had a net margin of 12.16% and a return on equity of 16.21%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.90 earnings per share. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV will post 3.37 EPS for the current year.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Company Profile

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV produces, distributes, exports, markets, and sells beer and beverages. It offers a portfolio of approximately 500 beer brands, which primarily include Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois; Beck's, Hoegaarden, Leffe, and Michelob Ultra; and Aguila, Antarctica, Bud Light, Brahma, Cass, Castle, Castle Lite, Cristal, Harbin, Jupiler, Modelo Especial, Quilmes, Victoria, Sedrin, and Skol brands.