Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Stock Position Lifted by AQR Capital Management LLC

AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) by 223.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,163,956 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,185,372 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC's holdings in Ambev were worth $5,853,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. GQG Partners LLC lifted its stake in Ambev by 51.9% during the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 196,676,003 shares of the company's stock worth $363,851,000 after purchasing an additional 67,180,274 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in Ambev by 1,641.9% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 19,001,985 shares of the company's stock worth $35,154,000 after acquiring an additional 17,911,122 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its holdings in Ambev by 101.1% in the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 15,639,612 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,512,000 after purchasing an additional 7,862,672 shares during the last quarter. FIL Ltd acquired a new stake in Ambev in the fourth quarter valued at $13,412,000. Finally, CORDA Investment Management LLC. acquired a new stake in Ambev in the fourth quarter valued at $11,987,000. 8.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ambev Stock Up 0.6%

Ambev stock traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $2.54. 8,256,838 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 29,180,806. The company's fifty day moving average price is $2.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $2.13. The company has a market cap of $39.95 billion, a PE ratio of 14.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.80. 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 fifty-two week low of $1.76 and a fifty-two week high of $2.64.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.04. Ambev had a return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 17.02%. The firm had revenue of $3.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.40 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a -- dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $0.0219 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a dividend yield of 5%. Ambev's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ABEV. UBS Group downgraded Ambev from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered Ambev from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Bank of America lowered Ambev from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Ambev from $2.00 to $2.50 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Ambev in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Ambev presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $2.70.

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.