Short Interest in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Drops By 26.9%

Key Points

• Short Interest Decrease: Ambev S.A. saw a significant drop in short interest by 26.9%, reducing the total from 75,600,000 shares to 55,240,000 shares as of August 15th.
• Dividend Increase: The company has raised its dividend to $0.023 from $0.02, with a payout scheduled for October 14th, indicating a strong dividend yield of 660.0%.
• Analyst Ratings: Ambev has received mixed analyst ratings, with six analysts rating it as a "Hold" and one as a "Sell," while the consensus target price is $2.35.

Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totaling 55,240,000 shares, a decline of 26.9% from the July 31st total of 75,600,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 29,490,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days. Currently, 0.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Currently, 0.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 29,490,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on ABEV shares. HSBC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Ambev in a research note on Friday, August 1st. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Ambev from $2.50 to $2.20 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Ambev to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $2.35.

Institutional Trading of Ambev

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ABEV. Talaria Asset Management Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in Ambev during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,602,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in Ambev by 201.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 26,087,675 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,262,000 after acquiring an additional 17,440,564 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its stake in Ambev by 329.6% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 16,354,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,255,000 after acquiring an additional 12,546,800 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its stake in Ambev by 202.5% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 13,181,359 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,386,000 after acquiring an additional 8,823,911 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Ambev by 105.8% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 16,170,388 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,677,000 after acquiring an additional 8,312,561 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.13% of the company's stock.

Ambev Stock Performance

ABEV traded up $0.02 on Friday, reaching $2.31. The stock had a trading volume of 38,456,803 shares, compared to its average volume of 30,622,928. Ambev has a 12-month low of $1.76 and a 12-month high of $2.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The business's 50-day moving average price is $2.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $2.35. The company has a market cap of $36.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.84.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.03 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.03. Ambev had a net margin of 16.18% and a return on equity of 15.39%. The company had revenue of $3.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.84 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ambev will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Ambev Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a -- dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 14th. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.023 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. This represents a yield of 660.0%. This is a boost from Ambev's previous -- dividend of $0.02. Ambev's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.00%.

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.