Moran Wealth Management LLC Makes New Investment in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Moran Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 1,758,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,923,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ambev by 83.7% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,802,121 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,389,000 after purchasing an additional 2,188,454 shares during the last quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Ambev by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 5,224,315 shares of the company's stock worth $13,479,000 after buying an additional 254,347 shares during the last quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ambev by 1.3% in the third quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 1,388,888 shares of the company's stock worth $3,583,000 after acquiring an additional 17,863 shares during the period. Westwood Global Investments LLC increased its position in Ambev by 3.1% during the third quarter. Westwood Global Investments LLC now owns 107,182,643 shares of the company's stock valued at $276,531,000 after acquiring an additional 3,229,411 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its holdings in Ambev by 49.1% in the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 12,195,474 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,464,000 after acquiring an additional 4,013,914 shares during the period. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on ABEV. Barclays cut their price target on Ambev from $3.00 to $2.50 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Ambev in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Ambev in a report on Friday, January 26th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ambev currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $3.03.

Ambev Price Performance

ABEV stock traded up $0.03 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $2.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 10,184,672 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,793,402. The company's fifty day moving average is $2.42 and its 200-day moving average is $2.61. Ambev S.A. has a 1 year low of $2.23 and a 1 year high of $3.23. The company has a market capitalization of $37.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. Ambev had a return on equity of 17.53% and a net margin of 18.25%. The firm had revenue of $4.04 billion during the quarter. On average, research analysts expect that Ambev S.A. will post 0.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Ambev

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.