Laird Norton Wetherby Trust Company LLC Reduces Position in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Laird Norton Wetherby Trust Company LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 38.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,005 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,495 shares during the quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Trust Company LLC’s holdings in Ambev were worth $39,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ambev during the 4th quarter valued at about $99,000. Ethic Inc. lifted its holdings in Ambev by 79.8% during the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 51,659 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 22,925 shares in the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Ambev during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,739,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Ambev by 201.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 26,087,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,262,000 after purchasing an additional 17,440,564 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ambev by 86.7% during the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 28,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 13,000 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.13% of the company’s stock.

Ambev Price Performance

ABEV stock opened at $2.53 on Monday. Ambev S.A. has a one year low of $1.76 and a one year high of $2.64. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $2.35 and its 200-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. The company has a market capitalization of $39.87 billion, a PE ratio of 14.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.80.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.40 billion. Ambev had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 16.12%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a $0.0221 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.49%. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ABEV has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Ambev in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Bank of America downgraded Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group cut Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average 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.