Erste Asset Management GmbH Takes Position in Ambev S.A. $ABEV

Key Points

• Erste Asset Management GmbH has acquired 250,000 shares of Ambev S.A. valued at approximately $570,000, indicating growing institutional interest in the company.
• Ambev recently announced an increase in its dividend, raising the amount from $0.02 to $0.023 per share, reflecting a strong yield of 660.0%.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed ratings for Ambev, with a consensus recommendation of "Reduce" and a target price set at $2.35.

Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 250,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $570,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Ambev by 17.4% in the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 175,977 shares of the company's stock valued at $410,000 after acquiring an additional 26,023 shares in the last quarter. Qtron Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ambev in the first quarter valued at $545,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Ambev by 17.8% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,757,412 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,075,000 after acquiring an additional 1,170,397 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its position in Ambev by 9.3% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,080,838 shares of the company's stock worth $4,848,000 after buying an additional 176,683 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Ambev by 10.0% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,455,125 shares of the company's stock worth $5,720,000 after buying an additional 222,768 shares during the period. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. HSBC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Ambev to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. UBS Group reduced their target price on Ambev from $2.50 to $2.20 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Ambev from $2.00 to $2.50 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $2.35.

Ambev Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ABEV opened at $2.2250 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.06 billion, a PE ratio of 13.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The business has a 50-day moving average of $2.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $2.31. Ambev S.A. has a 12 month low of $1.76 and a 12 month high of $2.63.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.03. The company had revenue of $3.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.84 billion. Ambev had a return on equity of 15.39% and a net margin of 16.18%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Ambev Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a -- dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.023 per share. This is a boost from Ambev's previous -- dividend of $0.02. This represents a yield of 660.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 11th. Ambev's payout ratio is currently 31.25%.

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.

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