Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Given Average Recommendation of “Reduce” by Analysts

Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) has been given an average rating of “Reduce” by the seven research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $2.6933.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on ABEV shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $2.88 target price on shares of Ambev in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ambev from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Ambev from $2.50 to $3.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABEV. Modern Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ambev in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Monument Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Ambev in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. First Trust Advisors LP bought a new stake in Ambev in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Ambev in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Bensler LLC acquired a new position in Ambev during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ambev Stock Performance

Shares of ABEV stock opened at $3.08 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.08, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.64. Ambev has a one year low of $2.06 and a one year high of $3.24. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $2.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $2.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.05. Ambev had a return on equity of 16.41% and a net margin of 17.75%.The firm had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.28 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Ambev will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.049 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 22nd. This represents a dividend yield of 1,465.0%. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio is 183.33%.

Ambev Company Profile

Ambev (NYSE: ABEV) is a Brazilian-based beverage company that produces, distributes and markets a broad portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The company’s core business centers on brewing and selling beer, alongside a range of soft drinks, bottled water, energy drinks and other malt-based beverages. Headquartered in São Paulo, Ambev operates an integrated value chain that covers manufacturing, packaging, logistics and commercial sales to retail, on-premise and institutional customers.

The company traces its origins to the 1999 merger of two historic Brazilian breweries, and later became part of the broader global brewing group through subsequent industry consolidations.