Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Shares Sold by Pitcairn Co.

Pitcairn Co. decreased its position in shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 168,975 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,798 shares during the quarter. Pitcairn Co.’s holdings in Ambev were worth $313,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of Ambev by 7.5% during 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 during the last quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD raised its position in Ambev by 40.4% during the fourth quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 20,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 5,993 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR lifted its holdings in Ambev by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 173,066 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 6,078 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in Ambev by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 85,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $158,000 after purchasing an additional 6,164 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PDS Planning Inc grew its stake in shares of Ambev by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 41,244 shares of the company’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 6,374 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.13% of the company’s stock.

Ambev Stock Performance

NYSE:ABEV opened at $2.31 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.31 billion, a PE ratio of 12.81, a P/E/G ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.68. Ambev S.A. has a fifty-two week low of $1.76 and a fifty-two week high of $2.56. The company has a fifty day moving average of $2.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $2.12.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.06 by ($0.01). Ambev had a return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 17.02%. The company had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.42 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.83%. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.94%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ABEV has been the subject of several analyst reports. 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. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America cut Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on Ambev in a report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2.45.

About Ambev

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.