Altrius Capital Management Inc Increases Position in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Altrius Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,583,267 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 46,233 shares during the quarter. Ambev accounts for about 1.8% of Altrius Capital Management Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Altrius Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Ambev were worth $6,629,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Creative Planning raised its stake in shares of Ambev by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 299,592 shares of the company’s stock worth $731,000 after purchasing an additional 40,257 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in Ambev by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 1,860,743 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,540,000 after acquiring an additional 55,415 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in Ambev during the third quarter valued at about $34,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ambev by 144.0% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 31,549 shares of the company’s stock worth $770,000 after purchasing an additional 18,619 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ambev during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $587,000. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ambev Trading Up 5.8 %

NYSE:ABEV opened at $2.11 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.69, a P/E/G ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company has a fifty day moving average of $1.86 and a 200 day moving average of $2.14. Ambev S.A. has a 52 week low of $1.76 and a 52 week high of $2.72.

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

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a 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. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays dropped their price target 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. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America cut shares of Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Ambev in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus 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.