Sanford C. Bernstein Reiterates Buy Rating for Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD)

Key Points

• Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "Buy" rating on Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:BUD); the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $86.50.
• AB InBev beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $0.95 versus $0.91 and revenue of $15.56B (up 6.2% YoY); the shares trade near $73.71, with a P/E of 21.37 and market cap of about $143.8B.
• Hedge funds and institutions have increased stakes recently—GQG Partners initiated a ~$150M position and Morgan Stanley boosted its holding by ~29.8%—with institutional ownership reported at 5.53%.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating restated by equities researchers at Sanford C. Bernstein in a research note issued to investors on Monday,MarketScreener reports.

BUD has been the subject of a number of other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. SBG Securities downgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Barclays restated a "buy" rating on shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in a report on Friday, February 13th. DZ Bank reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in a report on Monday, February 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.50.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Trading Down 1.8%

BUD opened at $73.71 on Monday. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a 12 month low of $56.97 and a 12 month high of $81.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $74.35 and a 200 day moving average of $67.83. The firm has a market cap of $143.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.58.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The consumer goods maker reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $15.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.48 billion. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV had a return on equity of 15.67% and a net margin of 11.53%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.88 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV will post 4.19 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GQG Partners LLC bought a new stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the 4th quarter valued at about $149,778,000. Morgan Stanley increased its position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 29.8% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,205,767 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock worth $269,337,000 after acquiring an additional 966,378 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 150.6% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,188,876 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock valued at $70,869,000 after acquiring an additional 714,420 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 23.7% during the second 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 acquiring an additional 641,158 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 535.6% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 653,616 shares of the consumer goods maker's stock valued at $38,962,000 after purchasing an additional 550,774 shares during the period. 5.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Company Profile

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV NYSE: BUD is a multinational brewing company headquartered in Leuven, Belgium. It is one of the world's largest brewers and is primarily engaged in the production, distribution and marketing of beer and related beverages. The company's operations span brewing, packaging, logistics and retail/customer sales support, serving a broad set of channels from on-premise hospitality to retail and e-commerce.

AB InBev's portfolio includes a mix of global, regional and local beer brands across mainstream, premium, craft and non-alcoholic categories.

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