Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Shares Bought by Motco

Motco boosted its position in shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 12.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 255,971 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,900 shares during the period. Motco’s holdings in Ambev were worth $474,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Altrius Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Ambev by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 3,583,267 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,629,000 after buying an additional 46,233 shares in the last quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ambev by 24.6% in the 4th quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 70,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,000 after buying an additional 13,800 shares in the last quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Ambev in the 4th quarter valued at $11,987,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Ambev by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 84,868 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 5,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RWC Asset Management LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Ambev by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP now owns 13,063,556 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,168,000 after buying an additional 552,220 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.13% of the company’s stock.

Ambev Price Performance

Shares of ABEV opened at $2.07 on Friday. Ambev S.A. has a fifty-two week low of $1.76 and a fifty-two week high of $2.58. The company has a market capitalization of $32.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 1.04. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $1.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $2.14. 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 (NYSE:ABEV) last announced 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). The firm had revenue of $4.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.42 billion. Ambev had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 16.12%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a $0.0221 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.27%. Ambev’s payout ratio is currently 35.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ABEV has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America cut shares of Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Ambev in a report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2.45.

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.