Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Makes New $1.62 Million Investment in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise has acquired 693,600 shares of Ambev S.A., representing a new position valued at approximately $1.6 million, as per its recent SEC filing.
• Ambev's recent earnings report showed earnings per share of $0.04, meeting consensus estimates, with quarterly revenue reported at $3.92 billion.
• The company declared a recent dividend yield of 5%, with a payout ratio of 68.75%, though the dividend was reduced in the latest payment cycle.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 693,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,616,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABEV. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Ambev by 201.7% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 26,087,675 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,262,000 after buying an additional 17,440,564 shares during the period. Talaria Asset Management Pty Ltd purchased a new position in Ambev in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,602,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in Ambev by 1,641.9% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 19,001,985 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,154,000 after buying an additional 17,911,122 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in Ambev by 329.6% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 16,354,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,255,000 after buying an additional 12,546,800 shares during the period. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its stake in shares of Ambev by 101.1% during 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 period. 8.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ambev from $2.60 to $2.70 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Ambev from $2.00 to $2.50 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Ambev from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. HSBC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen initiated coverage on shares of Ambev in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $2.60.

Ambev Stock Up 1.6%

NYSE:ABEV traded up $0.04 on Monday, hitting $2.22. 9,221,993 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 33,736,043. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. Ambev S.A. has a 1 year low of $1.76 and a 1 year high of $2.63. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $2.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $2.27. The company has a market cap of $34.90 billion, a PE ratio of 13.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.74.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.03 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.03. Ambev had a return on equity of 15.39% and a net margin of 16.18%. The company had revenue of $3.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.84 billion. Equities analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a $0.0219 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. This represents a dividend yield of 500.0%. Ambev's payout ratio is presently 68.75%.

About Ambev

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.