Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) Hits New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $3.23 and last traded at $3.2150, with a volume of 8388511 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $3.13.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ABEV has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Ambev from $2.50 to $3.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $2.88 price target on shares of Ambev in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ambev in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Ambev from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $2.69.

Ambev Trading Up 2.4%

The stock has a market cap of $50.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $2.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $2.46.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05. Ambev had a net margin of 17.75% and a return on equity of 16.41%. The firm had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.28 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Investors of record on Monday, December 22nd were given a $0.049 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1,465.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 22nd. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 183.33%.

Institutional Trading of Ambev

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABEV. Monument Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Ambev in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. IHT Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ambev during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. First Trust Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of Ambev in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ambev during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Modern Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ambev during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ambev

Ambev (NYSE: ABEV) is a Brazilian-based beverage company that produces, distributes and markets a broad portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The company’s core business centers on brewing and selling beer, alongside a range of soft drinks, bottled water, energy drinks and other malt-based beverages. Headquartered in São Paulo, Ambev operates an integrated value chain that covers manufacturing, packaging, logistics and commercial sales to retail, on-premise and institutional customers.

The company traces its origins to the 1999 merger of two historic Brazilian breweries, and later became part of the broader global brewing group through subsequent industry consolidations.