Boston Beer (NYSE:SAM) Rating Lowered to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Boston Beer (NYSE:SAM) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

SAM has been the subject of several other reports. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Boston Beer in a report on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Boston Beer from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Boston Beer in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Boston Beer from $245.00 to $235.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Boston Beer from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $233.71.

Boston Beer Stock Down 4.0%

Boston Beer stock opened at $218.32 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $217.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $213.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.41, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.03. Boston Beer has a 52-week low of $185.34 and a 52-week high of $260.00.

Boston Beer (NYSE:SAM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported ($2.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.33) by $0.21. Boston Beer had a net margin of 5.20% and a return on equity of 11.96%. The company had revenue of $385.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $381.75 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($1.68) EPS. Boston Beer’s revenue was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Boston Beer has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.500-11.000 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Boston Beer will post 9.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Boston Beer

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in Boston Beer by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 8,414 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,605,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its stake in shares of Boston Beer by 2.8% in the second quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 2,115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $404,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Boston Beer by 5.3% in the second quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 1,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $227,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Boston Beer by 81.7% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE grew its stake in Boston Beer by 28.2% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 386 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.13% of the company’s stock.

Boston Beer News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Boston Beer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results surprised on the upside on EPS and margins — SAM reported a narrower-than-feared loss and stronger gross margin (up ~360 bps), beating EPS and revenue estimates, which supports near-term earnings credibility. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a FY-2026 EPS target of $8.50–$11 and flagged margin gains plus expansion of the Sun Cruiser platform — this highlights potential upside if volumes and mix recover. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $230 while keeping a Neutral rating — a modest endorsement but not a buy signal. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley trimmed its target to $235 and kept an Equal Weight rating — mixed analyst tone that may limit upside momentum. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative analyst coverage (BUD vs SAM) keeps the stock in the spotlight for value-oriented investors but doesn’t change SAM’s immediate operating picture. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Demand weakness: depletions fell ~6% and shipments ~7.5% in Q4, with revenue down ~4.1% YoY — volume trends are the primary headwind to a durable recovery. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Management warned depletions could fall again in 2026 and cited tariff policy risks that could pressure margins and guidance — this increased uncertainty likely pressured the stock. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: FY-2026 EPS guidance ($8.50–$11) sits below some street expectations (consensus ~$10.96 midpoint), leaving investors focused on whether volume recovery and margin gains can meet the high end of the range. Read More.

Boston Beer Company Profile

The Boston Beer Company, Inc (NYSE: SAM) is a leading craft brewer headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Since its founding in 1984 by Jim Koch, the company has focused on producing high-quality, distinctive beers and beverages for retail, on-premise, and distribution partners across the United States. Its operations include brewing, packaging, marketing and distribution, supported by a network of wholly owned brewing facilities and strategic partnerships with regional breweries.

Boston Beer’s flagship brand, Samuel Adams Boston Lager, helped establish the modern U.S.