Royal Bank Of Canada Reaffirms Buy Rating for Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD)

Key Points

• Royal Bank Of Canada has reaffirmed its buy rating for Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD), indicating continued confidence in the stock's performance.
• Despite the reaffirmation from RBC, other firms like Kepler Capital Markets have downgraded the stock to a hold rating, creating a mixed analytical sentiment around BUD.
• Anheuser-Busch InBev's stock has a current price target of $71, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, following a quarter where EPS exceeded expectations.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reaffirmed by research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada in a note issued to investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on BUD. Kepler Capital Markets cut Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in a research note on Wednesday. Morningstar upgraded Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating on shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $71.00.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE BUD opened at $59.82 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $116.81 billion, a PE ratio of 16.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a 52-week low of $45.94 and a 52-week high of $72.13. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $60.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.64.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The consumer goods maker reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.04. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV had a return on equity of 16.21% and a net margin of 12.16%.During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.90 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV will post 3.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BUD. Dodge & Cox increased its stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 41,116,138 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock valued at $2,531,109,000 after purchasing an additional 1,119,308 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 23.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 3,344,451 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock valued at $229,831,000 after purchasing an additional 641,158 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,999,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,663,933 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock valued at $732,826,000 after purchasing an additional 454,621 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 25.3% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,318,248 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock valued at $81,151,000 after purchasing an additional 265,783 shares in the last quarter. 5.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

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.

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