Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Ambev (NYSE:ABEV)

Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders purchased 5,699 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 361% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,236 call options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ambev

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ambev by 468.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,998 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 9,063 shares in the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ambev in the first quarter valued at $27,000. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ambev during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. M&T Bank Corp bought a new stake in shares of Ambev during the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Insight Inv LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ambev in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. 8.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ambev Stock Performance

ABEV stock traded down $0.03 on Wednesday, reaching $2.47. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,147,365 shares, compared to its average volume of 28,874,644. Ambev has a 52 week low of $1.76 and a 52 week high of $2.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The company has a market capitalization of $38.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $2.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $2.13.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.06 by ($0.01). Ambev had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 16.12%. The company had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.42 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Ambev will post 0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a $0.0221 dividend. This represents a $0.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. Ambev's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.94%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

About Ambev

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.

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