Neuberger Berman Group LLC Sells 495,704 Shares of Ambev S.A. $ABEV

Key Points

• Neuberger Berman Group LLC significantly reduced its stake in Ambev S.A. by 95.6%, selling 495,704 shares, and currently holds 23,023 shares valued at $54,000.
• Several institutional investors increased their positions in Ambev, with Tranquilli Financial Advisor LLC raising its stake by 37.3%, now owning 20,943 shares worth $49,000.
• Ambev recently announced a dividend with a yield of 660.0% payable on October 14th, increasing from its previous payout of $0.02 to $0.023 per share.

Neuberger Berman Group LLC reduced its stake in shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) by 95.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 23,023 shares of the company's stock after selling 495,704 shares during the quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC's holdings in Ambev were worth $54,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Ambev by 468.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,998 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 9,063 shares during the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ambev in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ambev in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. M&T Bank Corp acquired a new position in shares of Ambev in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Ambev in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ambev Price Performance

Shares of Ambev stock traded up $0.0350 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $2.2250. 6,023,363 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 32,685,162. The company has a market cap of $35.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $2.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2.31. 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. The business had revenue of $3.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.84 billion. Ambev had a net margin of 16.18% and a return on equity of 15.39%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a -- dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.023 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. This represents a yield of 660.0%. This is an increase from Ambev's previous -- dividend of $0.02. Ambev's payout ratio is currently 25.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ABEV has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Ambev to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Ambev from $2.00 to $2.50 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. HSBC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Ambev in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Ambev from $2.50 to $2.20 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ambev has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $2.35.

Ambev 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.