Privium Fund Management B.V. Acquires 151,849 Shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Key Points

• Privium Fund Management B.V. increased its stake in Ambev S.A. by **23.3%**, now holding **804,206 shares** valued at approximately **$1.87 million**, making it the 25th largest position in its investment portfolio.
• Ambev's stock price opened at **$2.19** with a **market capitalization** of **$34.51 billion**, and analysts project an earnings per share of **0.18** for the current year.
• Several analysts have issued updated ratings for Ambev, with UBS Group increasing their price target to **$2.70** while Morgan Stanley downgraded it to **"underweight."**

Privium Fund Management B.V. grew its position in shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) by 23.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 804,206 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 151,849 shares during the quarter. Ambev accounts for 0.5% of Privium Fund Management B.V.'s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Privium Fund Management B.V.'s holdings in Ambev were worth $1,874,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 17,440,564 shares during the last quarter. Talaria Asset Management Pty Ltd bought a new position in Ambev in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,602,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its holdings in shares of Ambev by 329.6% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 16,354,000 shares of the company's stock worth $30,255,000 after acquiring an additional 12,546,800 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its position in Ambev by 101.1% during the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 15,639,612 shares of the company's stock worth $29,512,000 after buying an additional 7,862,672 shares during the period. Finally, Private Management Group Inc. increased its position in Ambev by 6.4% during the first quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 15,439,216 shares of the company's stock worth $35,973,000 after acquiring an additional 926,982 shares during the period. 8.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ABEV. UBS Group upped their target price on Ambev from $2.60 to $2.70 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Ambev to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Ambev from $2.00 to $2.50 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. HSBC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen started coverage on shares of Ambev in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $2.60.

Ambev Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of Ambev stock traded up $0.05 on Wednesday, hitting $2.26. 35,361,535 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 33,761,324. The company has a fifty day moving average of $2.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $2.28. Ambev S.A. has a one year low of $1.76 and a one year high of $2.63. The company has a market capitalization of $35.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 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.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 16.18% and a return on equity of 15.39%. The firm had revenue of $3.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. 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 company also recently declared a -- dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued a $0.023 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 11th. This is an increase from Ambev's previous -- dividend of $0.02. This represents a yield of 660.0%. Ambev's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.