Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Short Interest Up 21.4% in February

Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 38,290,000 shares, a growth of 21.4% from the January 31st total of 31,550,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 36,230,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.1 days. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ambev

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Ambev by 9.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,425,374 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,438,000 after buying an additional 878,900 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in shares of Ambev by 132.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 1,976,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,822,000 after acquiring an additional 1,127,719 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Ambev by 18.3% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 54,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $129,000 after acquiring an additional 8,350 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Ambev by 298.1% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 802,016 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,957,000 after purchasing an additional 600,545 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ambev by 32.0% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,067,893 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,606,000 after purchasing an additional 258,875 shares during the last quarter. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ABEV has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Ambev in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays cut their price target on Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Bank of America cut Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2.45.

Ambev Price Performance

ABEV stock traded up $0.02 on Thursday, reaching $2.21. 16,036,845 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 37,620,934. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $1.87 and a 200-day moving average of $2.13. Ambev has a twelve month low of $1.76 and a twelve month high of $2.58. The firm has a market cap of $34.74 billion, a PE ratio of 12.25, a P/E/G ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.42 billion. Ambev had a return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 17.02%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ambev will post 0.18 EPS 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 given a dividend of $0.0221 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.00%. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.94%.

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.