Versant Capital Management Inc Increases Stock Holdings in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD)

Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD - Free Report) by 2,647.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,484 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock after purchasing an additional 6,248 shares during the quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc's holdings in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV were worth $399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,540,000. B&D White Capital Company LLC purchased a new stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the fourth quarter worth $290,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 15.8% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,409 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock worth $171,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 30.3% during the 4th quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,493,842 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock valued at $74,797,000 after acquiring an additional 347,000 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,311,000. 5.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BUD. Berenberg Bank assumed coverage on Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $70.10 to $88.00 in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Argus upgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. 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 downgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, May 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $71.50.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:BUD traded up $1.06 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $71.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,053,905 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,893,095. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a fifty-two week low of $45.94 and a fifty-two week high of $71.84. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $65.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $57.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $128.90 billion, a PE ratio of 22.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.83.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The consumer goods maker reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.04. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV had a return on equity of 15.29% and a net margin of 10.98%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.75 earnings per share. As a group, 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 company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 7th will be issued a $1.0492 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1.2%. This is a positive change from Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV's previous annual dividend of $0.87. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 7th. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.32%.

About Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

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.