Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,390,000 shares, an increase of 13.1% from the February 29th total of 3,880,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 10,730,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.4 days.

Ambev Price Performance

NYSE:ABEV traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $2.42. The company's stock had a trading volume of 14,236,749 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,452,162. The business's 50-day moving average is $2.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $2.66. The company has a market capitalization of $38.04 billion, a PE ratio of 13.50, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.89. Ambev has a 52-week low of $2.41 and a 52-week high of $3.23.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 29th. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.04 billion during the quarter. Ambev had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 18.19%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ambev will post 0.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Ambev by 244.5% in the second quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 43,146,270 shares of the company's stock valued at $108,297,000 after purchasing an additional 30,623,051 shares during the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd grew its holdings in Ambev by 102.4% in the fourth quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 59,059,948 shares of the company's stock valued at $165,368,000 after purchasing an additional 29,873,295 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in Ambev by 39.1% in the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 48,691,824 shares of the company's stock valued at $137,798,000 after purchasing an additional 13,691,138 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in Ambev by 102.1% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 22,177,326 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,540,000 after purchasing an additional 11,204,526 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in Ambev by 34,240.8% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 8,181,005 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,252,000 after purchasing an additional 8,157,182 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ABEV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Ambev in a research note on Friday, March 1st. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Ambev in a report on Friday, January 26th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Barclays lowered Ambev from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $3.50 to $3.00 in a report on Monday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley raised Ambev from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, December 8th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on Ambev in a report on Thursday, December 7th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $3.20.

Ambev Company Profile

Ambev SA, through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, distribution, and sale of beer, draft beer, carbonated soft drinks, other non-alcoholic beverages, malt, and food products. It offers beer primarily under the Skol, Brahma, Antarctica, Brahva, Budweiser, Bud Light, Beck, Leffe and Hoegaarden, 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, Banks, Deputy, Patricia, Labatt Blue, Alexander Keith's, and Kokanee brands.