Banco Santander S.A. Raises Position in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Banco Santander S.A. lifted its stake in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 27.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 743,025 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 158,123 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Ambev were worth $1,843,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of ABEV. Radnor Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ambev during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. IPG Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ambev in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ambev during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. IRON Financial LLC purchased a new position in Ambev during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC bought a new position in Ambev in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors own 8.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ABEV. Barclays decreased their target price on Ambev from $3.00 to $2.50 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ambev from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $2.68.

Ambev Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of ABEV stock traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $2.11. The stock had a trading volume of 16,107,886 shares, compared to its average volume of 19,444,378. Ambev S.A. has a 12-month low of $2.01 and a 12-month high of $3.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $2.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $2.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.06.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05. Ambev had a net margin of 18.25% and a return on equity of 17.53%. The company had revenue of $4.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4 billion. On average, analysts predict that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Ambev

Ambev SA, through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, distribution, and sale of beer, draft beer, carbonated soft drinks, other non-alcoholic beverages, malt, and food products. It offers beer primarily under the Skol, Brahma, Antarctica, Brahva, Budweiser, Bud Light, Beck, Leffe and Hoegaarden, 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, Banks, Deputy, Patricia, Labatt Blue, Alexander Keith's, and Kokanee brands.