Great Lakes Advisors LLC Sells 34,597 Shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Great Lakes Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 529,231 shares of the company’s stock after selling 34,597 shares during the quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ambev were worth $979,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MCIA Inc bought a new position in Ambev in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Insight Inv LLC bought a new position in Ambev in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Naviter Wealth LLC bought a new position in Ambev in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in Ambev in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Ambev by 37.9% during the 3rd quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 4,861 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 8.13% of the company’s stock.

Ambev Price Performance

Shares of ABEV stock opened at $2.31 on Friday. Ambev S.A. has a 1-year low of $1.76 and a 1-year high of $2.56. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $1.93 and its 200 day moving average is $2.12. The company has a market cap of $36.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.81, a PEG ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last issued 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). Ambev had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 16.12%. The company had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.42 billion. Research analysts predict that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a $0.0221 dividend. This represents a $0.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.83%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ABEV. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays dropped their price target on Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com began coverage on Ambev in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Bank of America downgraded Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2.45.

Ambev Profile

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.