Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) Short Interest Update

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,000,000 shares, an increase of 30.1% from the May 15th total of 6,150,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,310,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days. Currently, 0.5% of the company's stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on BUD. Argus raised Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. BNP Paribas raised Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $70.10 to $88.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, May 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $71.50.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Stock Up 0.3%

BUD stock traded up $0.23 on Friday, hitting $71.18. 2,767,229 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,968,956. 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 50 day moving average price of $68.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market cap of $127.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.85.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The consumer goods maker reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.04. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV had a return on equity of 16.09% and a net margin of 11.74%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.75 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV will post 3.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 7th were paid a dividend of $1.0492 per share. This represents a yield of 1.2%. This is an increase from Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV's previous annual dividend of $0.87. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 7th. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV's payout ratio is 24.64%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BUD. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 2,722.7% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 621 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in the first quarter worth about $32,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in the first quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. 5.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.