NBC Securities Inc. Raises Position in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

NBC Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) by 140,446.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 230,496 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 230,332 shares during the quarter. NBC Securities Inc.'s holdings in Ambev were worth $537,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in Ambev by 5.8% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 401,922 shares of the company's stock worth $936,000 after acquiring an additional 21,915 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ambev by 468.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,998 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 9,063 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Ambev by 23.1% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 296,347 shares of the company's stock worth $548,000 after purchasing an additional 55,606 shares during the period. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ambev in the 4th quarter worth $751,000. Finally, Talaria Asset Management Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in Ambev in the 4th quarter valued at $38,602,000. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ambev Stock Down 0.8%

ABEV traded down $0.02 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $2.47. 25,795,157 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 29,504,958. Ambev S.A. has a 1 year low of $1.76 and a 1 year high of $2.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.92 billion, a PE ratio of 13.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $2.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $2.17.

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

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a -- dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $0.0219 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a dividend yield of 5%. Ambev's payout ratio is presently 68.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ABEV has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen assumed coverage on shares of Ambev in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Ambev from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Ambev from $2.60 to $2.70 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Ambev from $2.00 to $2.50 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $2.60.

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.