Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) saw a significant decrease in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,390,000 shares, a decrease of 10.2% from the May 31st total of 2,660,000 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,630,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 116.5% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 643 shares of the consumer goods maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the fourth quarter worth about $57,000. Finally, Janiczek Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 111.0% during the fourth quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 882 shares of the consumer goods maker’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 5.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from $70.00 to $68.50 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.13.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of BUD traded up $1.40 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $60.06. The stock had a trading volume of 1,537,585 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,877,101. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $61.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $62.05. The company has a market cap of $107.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.19, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.10. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a 1-year low of $51.66 and a 1-year high of $67.49.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The consumer goods maker reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.06. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV had a return on equity of 14.01% and a net margin of 8.03%. The business had revenue of $14.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.65 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV will post 3.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 6th were issued a dividend of $0.8722 per share. This is a positive change from Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV’s previous annual dividend of $0.61. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 3rd. This represents a dividend yield of 1.1%. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.31%.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Company Profile

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV produces, distributes, exports, markets, and sells beer and beverages. It offers a portfolio of approximately 500 beer brands, which primarily include Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois; Beck's, Hoegaarden, Leffe, and Michelob Ultra; and Aguila, Antarctica, Bud Light, Brahma, Cass, Castle, Castle Lite, Cristal, Harbin, Jupiler, Modelo Especial, Quilmes, Victoria, Sedrin, and Skol brands.