Virtu Financial LLC Grows Position in Ambev S.A. $ABEV

Virtu Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 234.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 702,098 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 492,389 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in Ambev were worth $1,734,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ABEV. Modern Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ambev in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Monument Capital Management bought a new stake in Ambev during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. First Trust Advisors LP bought a new stake in Ambev during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ambev during the first quarter worth $26,000. Finally, IHT Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ambev during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors own 8.13% of the company’s stock.

Ambev Stock Performance

NYSE:ABEV opened at $3.12 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $49.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.45, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a 50 day moving average of $3.15 and a 200 day moving average of $2.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Ambev S.A. has a 1-year low of $2.10 and a 1-year high of $3.45.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. Ambev had a net margin of 17.69% and a return on equity of 16.63%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ambev S.A. will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.0092 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 24th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.53%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider De Lacerda Eduardo Cavalcanti sold 152,386 shares of Ambev stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.85, for a total value of $434,300.10. Following the transaction, the insider owned 223,340 shares in the company, valued at $636,519. This trade represents a 40.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Paulo Andre Zagman sold 136,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.41, for a total transaction of $464,612.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 230,535 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $786,124.35. This represents a 37.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ABEV has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Ambev from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Ambev from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays upped their price target on Ambev from $3.00 to $3.50 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Ambev from $2.65 to $2.90 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $3.09.

Ambev Profile

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.