Ambev S.A. $ABEV Shares Bought by Northern Trust Corp

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp increased its stock position in Ambev S.A. by 17.8%, owning 7,757,412 shares worth $18,075,000 at the end of the first quarter.
• The company reported earnings of $0.03 per share for the quarter, which met analysts' expectations, with a net margin of 16.18% and revenue of $3.59 billion.
• Ambev announced a dividend increase to $0.023, representing a yield of 660.0%, to be paid to stockholders in October.

Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) by 17.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,757,412 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,170,397 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp's holdings in Ambev were worth $18,075,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABEV. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Ambev by 468.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,998 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 9,063 shares in the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ambev during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ambev during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. M&T Bank Corp bought a new position in Ambev during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Ambev during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on ABEV shares. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Ambev to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. HSBC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Ambev in a report on Friday, August 1st. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Ambev from $2.50 to $2.20 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Barclays raised 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. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $2.35.

Ambev Stock Performance

ABEV stock traded up $0.04 during trading on Friday, reaching $2.23. The company had a trading volume of 37,929,618 shares, compared to its average volume of 24,668,688. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $2.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $2.34. 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 2.43 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.11. Ambev S.A. has a twelve month low of $1.76 and a twelve month high of $2.63.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.03. The company 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Ambev Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a -- dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 14th. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th will be paid a $0.023 dividend. This is a boost from Ambev's previous -- dividend of $0.02. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 11th. This represents a yield of 660.0%. Ambev's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.