Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Ambev S.A. $ABEV

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group trimmed its stake in Ambev by 71.8% in Q4, selling 385,000 shares and leaving it with 151,500 shares valued at about $374,000.
• An insider, De Lacerda Eduardo Cavalcanti, sold 152,386 shares on March 27 at $2.85, reducing their ownership by 40.56%.
• Ambev trades around $3.06 (52-week range $2.10–$3.24) with a market cap of $48.14B; analysts show mixed views and a consensus "Hold" rating with a $2.84 price target.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. trimmed its stake in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) by 71.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 151,500 shares of the company's stock after selling 385,000 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.'s holdings in Ambev were worth $374,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Foundation Resource Management Inc. boosted its position in Ambev by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Foundation Resource Management Inc. now owns 6,939,320 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,140,000 after buying an additional 55,844 shares during the period. MH & Associates Securities Management Corp ADV purchased a new stake in Ambev in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,727,000. Hartford Financial Management Inc. boosted its position in Ambev by 312.8% in the 4th quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 56,791 shares of the company's stock valued at $140,000 after buying an additional 43,032 shares during the period. Leo Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Ambev in the 4th quarter valued at about $82,000. Finally, Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of Ambev in the 4th quarter worth approximately $103,000. 8.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider De Lacerda Eduardo Cavalcanti sold 152,386 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.85, for a total transaction of $434,300.10. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 223,340 shares of the company's stock, valued at $636,519. This represents a 40.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Ambev Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:ABEV opened at $3.06 on Monday. Ambev S.A. has a 52 week low of $2.10 and a 52 week high of $3.24. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $3.00 and a 200 day moving average of $2.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.97, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.65.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.05. Ambev had a net margin of 17.75% and a return on equity of 16.41%. The company had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.28 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ABEV has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group set a $2.65 price target on shares of Ambev and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ambev from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Ambev from $2.50 to $3.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ambev from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $2.84.

About Ambev

Ambev NYSE: ABEV is a Brazilian-based beverage company that produces, distributes and markets a broad portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The company's core business centers on brewing and selling beer, alongside a range of soft drinks, bottled water, energy drinks and other malt-based beverages. Headquartered in São Paulo, Ambev operates an integrated value chain that covers manufacturing, packaging, logistics and commercial sales to retail, on-premise and institutional customers.

The company traces its origins to the 1999 merger of two historic Brazilian breweries, and later became part of the broader global brewing group through subsequent industry consolidations.

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