Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Has $118,000 Position in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 144.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 63,655 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 37,642 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Ambev were worth $118,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ABEV. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ambev during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Ambev by 77.1% during the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 38,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 16,563 shares during the period. Essex Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Ambev during the 3rd quarter worth about $47,000. Atria Investments Inc grew its position in shares of Ambev by 84.3% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 214,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $524,000 after buying an additional 98,162 shares during the period. Finally, Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ambev during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ambev Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE ABEV opened at $2.24 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.42, a PEG ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.94. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $1.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $2.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.20. Ambev S.A. has a 52 week low of $1.76 and a 52 week high of $2.58.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $22.42 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.0221 per share. This represents a $0.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.95%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. Ambev’s payout ratio is presently 52.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ABEV. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Ambev in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Barclays decreased their price objective on Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America lowered Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ambev has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.