Short Interest in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) Rises By 20.3%

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) saw a significant growth in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,930,000 shares, a growth of 20.3% from the February 28th total of 4,930,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,320,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days. Currently, 0.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Stock Up 1.5 %

NYSE BUD traded up $0.96 during trading on Thursday, reaching $63.06. 2,906,927 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,782,335. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $56.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $56.79. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a 12-month low of $45.94 and a 12-month high of $67.49. The firm has a market cap of $113.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.51.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The consumer goods maker reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.13. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV had a return on equity of 15.29% and a net margin of 10.98%. The business had revenue of $14.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.07 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV will post 3.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BUD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Berenberg Bank started coverage on Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in a report on Wednesday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Argus raised shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from $65.00 to $55.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $66.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dodge & Cox increased its position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 27.7% during the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 39,996,830 shares of the consumer goods maker’s stock valued at $2,002,641,000 after buying an additional 8,670,940 shares in the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in the 4th quarter worth $56,849,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the 4th quarter worth about $37,311,000. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,540,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 7,569,492 shares of the consumer goods maker’s stock worth $379,004,000 after purchasing an additional 505,206 shares during the last quarter. 5.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV produces, distributes, exports, markets, and sells beer and beverages. It offers a portfolio of approximately 500 beer brands, which primarily include Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois; Beck's, Hoegaarden, Leffe, and Michelob Ultra; and Aguila, Antarctica, Bud Light, Brahma, Cass, Castle, Castle Lite, Cristal, Harbin, Jupiler, Modelo Especial, Quilmes, Victoria, Sedrin, and Skol brands.