HBK Investments L P Reduces Position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV $BUD

Key Points

• HBK Investments L P reduced its ownership of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 21.0% in the first quarter, holding 412,652 shares after selling 109,500 shares.
• Analysts have upgraded Anheuser-Busch InBev's stock rating, with Goldman Sachs raising it from "neutral" to a "buy" and increasing the price target from $70.10 to $88.00.
• Despite a 2.1% decline in quarterly revenue year-over-year, the company exceeded earnings estimates with earnings per share (EPS) of $0.98, surpassing the consensus estimate of $0.94.

HBK Investments L P lessened its stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD - Free Report) by 21.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 412,652 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock after selling 109,500 shares during the quarter. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV comprises 0.7% of HBK Investments L P's portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. HBK Investments L P's holdings in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV were worth $25,403,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the first quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Rossby Financial LCC bought a new stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the first quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 5.53% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on BUD shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $70.10 to $88.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. 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. Finally, 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $71.50.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Price Performance

NYSE BUD traded down $0.36 on Thursday, reaching $59.20. 2,760,715 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,399,099. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a 12 month low of $45.94 and a 12 month high of $72.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $64.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.73. The stock has a market cap of $106.39 billion, a PE ratio of 16.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.79.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.90 EPS. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV will post 3.37 earnings per share 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.