Great Lakes Advisors LLC Has $11.54 Million Stock Holdings in Ambev S.A. $ABEV

Key Points

• Great Lakes Advisors LLC increased its stake in Ambev S.A. by 836.1% in the first quarter, acquiring an additional 4,424,987 shares, bringing their total holdings to 4,954,218 shares worth $11.54 million.
• Ambev recently announced a dividend increase to $0.023 from $0.02, representing a 660% yield with a payout ratio of 31.25%.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on Ambev, with Barclays increasing their price target from $2.00 to $2.50 while UBS Group lowered theirs from $2.50 to $2.20, reflecting the variability in market confidence.

Great Lakes Advisors LLC lifted its position in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) by 836.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,954,218 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 4,424,987 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC's holdings in Ambev were worth $11,543,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Ambev by 201.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 26,087,675 shares of the company's stock worth $48,262,000 after buying an additional 17,440,564 shares in the last quarter. Talaria Asset Management Pty Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Ambev in the 4th quarter worth $38,602,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its stake in shares of Ambev by 329.6% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 16,354,000 shares of the company's stock worth $30,255,000 after buying an additional 12,546,800 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Ambev by 105.8% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 16,170,388 shares of the company's stock worth $37,677,000 after buying an additional 8,312,561 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Management Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ambev by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 15,439,216 shares of the company's stock worth $35,973,000 after buying an additional 926,982 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 8.13% of the company's stock.

Ambev Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of Ambev stock traded up $0.02 on Friday, reaching $2.31. 38,456,803 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 31,820,010. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $2.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $2.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.84. 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 fifty-two week low of $1.76 and a fifty-two week high of $2.63.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $21.84 billion. On average, analysts expect that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 EPS for the current year.

Ambev Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on ABEV. Hsbc Global Res raised Ambev to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. HSBC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, UBS Group cut 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, August 20th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $2.35.

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.