Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD Sells 382,700 Shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD trimmed its stake in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Free Report) by 10.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,297,220 shares of the company's stock after selling 382,700 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD's holdings in Ambev were worth $6,100,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ABEV. Insight Inv LLC acquired a new position in Ambev during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Naviter Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Ambev in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Generation Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ambev during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Ambev during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Ambev by 51.4% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 17,084 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 5,798 shares during the period. 8.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on ABEV. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Ambev in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "buy" rating for the company. UBS Group lowered shares of Ambev from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered Ambev from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Barclays cut their price target on Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of Ambev from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $2.45.

Ambev Stock Performance

Shares of ABEV traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $2.54. 12,596,206 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 29,081,890. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.20. Ambev S.A. has a 1-year low of $1.76 and a 1-year high of $2.64. The business's 50 day moving average price is $2.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $2.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.02 billion, a PE ratio of 14.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.80.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.04 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $3.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.40 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a dividend of $0.0221 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.47%. Ambev's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.94%.

Ambev Company Profile

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.