Short Interest in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) Declines By 10.2%

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,390,000 shares, a decline of 10.2% from the May 31st total of 2,660,000 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,630,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BUD. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 116.5% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 643 shares of the consumer goods maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 111.0% during the 4th quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 882 shares of the consumer goods maker’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 5.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on BUD shares. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from $70.00 to $68.50 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.13.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Stock Performance

NYSE:BUD traded up $1.40 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $60.06. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,537,585 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,877,101. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a 12-month low of $51.66 and a 12-month high of $67.49. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $61.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $62.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market cap of $107.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.19, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.10.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The consumer goods maker reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.06. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV had a return on equity of 14.01% and a net margin of 8.03%. The business had revenue of $14.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.65 EPS. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV will post 3.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 6th were given a dividend of $0.8722 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 3rd. This represents a dividend yield of 1.1%. This is a positive change from Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV’s previous annual dividend of $0.61. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.31%.

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.