Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) Insider Sells 60,757 Shares of Stock

Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) insider Prado Carla Smith De Va Crippa sold 60,757 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.09, for a total transaction of $187,739.13. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 80,707 shares in the company, valued at $249,384.63. This represents a 42.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Ambev Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ABEV traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $3.19. 33,506,011 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 26,585,883. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $2.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $3.05. The stock has a market cap of $50.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.92, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. Ambev S.A. has a one year low of $2.10 and a one year high of $3.45.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.04. Ambev had a return on equity of 17.48% and a net margin of 18.47%.The company had revenue of $3.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.05 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ambev S.A. will post 0.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 23rd will be issued a $0.0092 dividend. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 23rd. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ABEV. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ambev in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC bought a new position in Ambev during the first quarter worth $31,000. World Investment Advisors acquired a new position in Ambev in the first quarter valued at $32,000. S Harris Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Ambev during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Equitable Trust Co. acquired a new stake in Ambev during the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Scotiabank lowered Ambev from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Ambev in a report on Monday, August 3rd. UBS Group set a $2.85 target price on shares of Ambev in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $3.30 target price on shares of Ambev in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ambev has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $3.13.

About Ambev

Ambev SA is a Brazilian beverage company and one of the largest brewers in Latin America. The company produces, distributes and sells beer, carbonated soft drinks, nonalcoholic beverages and other drink products through a portfolio that includes brands such as Brahma, Skol, Antarctica, Bohemia, Budweiser, Stella Artois and Guaraná Antarctica.

Founded in 1999 through the merger of Companhia Antarctica Paulista and Companhia Cervejaria Brahma, Ambev became part of Anheuser-Busch InBev following the latter’s combination with Anheuser-Busch in 2008.