Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) Shares Gap Up to $60.57

Shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD - Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $60.57, but opened at $63.51. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV shares last traded at $63.18, with a volume of 1,058,721 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BUD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. BNP Paribas cut Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $60.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $71.70.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $109.43 billion, a PE ratio of 23.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $60.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $61.46.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The consumer goods maker reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.06. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The business had revenue of $14.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.98 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV will post 3.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.8722 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 3rd. This is an increase from Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV's previous annual dividend of $0.61. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.53%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 11.6% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 10,367,287 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock valued at $573,311,000 after purchasing an additional 1,077,724 shares in the last quarter. Armistice Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the third quarter worth about $38,876,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 36.8% during the first quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 2,062,543 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock valued at $125,389,000 after acquiring an additional 555,362 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $136,630,000. Finally, Seafarer Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 20.2% in the first quarter. Seafarer Capital Partners LLC now owns 952,000 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock valued at $57,863,000 after buying an additional 160,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 5.53% of the company's stock.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Company Profile

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV produces, distributes, exports, markets, and sells beer and beverages. It offers a portfolio of approximately 500 beer brands, which primarily include Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois; Beck's, Hoegaarden, Leffe, and Michelob Ultra; and Aguila, Antarctica, Bud Light, Brahma, Cass, Castle, Castle Lite, Cristal, Harbin, Jupiler, Modelo Especial, Quilmes, Victoria, Sedrin, and Skol brands.