UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Sells 250,000 Shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC reduced its holdings in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) by 65.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 132,600 shares of the company's stock after selling 250,000 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC's holdings in Ambev were worth $245,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GQG Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Ambev by 51.9% during the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 196,676,003 shares of the company's stock worth $363,851,000 after buying an additional 67,180,274 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Ambev by 201.7% during the fourth 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 during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Ambev by 1,641.9% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 19,001,985 shares of the company's stock worth $35,154,000 after buying an additional 17,911,122 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Ambev by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 18,614,210 shares of the company's stock worth $34,436,000 after purchasing an additional 880,763 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Ambev by 39.9% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 18,519,980 shares of the company's stock worth $33,892,000 after purchasing an additional 5,283,746 shares during the period. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ambev Price Performance

NYSE:ABEV traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $2.43. 49,321,972 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 29,730,364. The business's 50-day moving average price is $2.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.18. The company has a market cap of $38.21 billion, a PE ratio of 13.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.76. Ambev S.A. has a 12-month low of $1.76 and a 12-month high of $2.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.04. Ambev had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 16.12%. The firm had revenue of $3.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.40 billion. On average, analysts expect that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a -- dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $0.0219 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a dividend yield of 5%. Ambev's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Ambev from $2.00 to $2.50 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Ambev from $2.60 to $2.70 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Wall Street Zen started coverage on shares of Ambev in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut shares of Ambev from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ambev has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $2.60.

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.