Two Sigma Investments LP Acquires 8,823,911 Shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 202.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 13,181,359 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,823,911 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP’s holdings in Ambev were worth $24,386,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its holdings in Ambev by 101.1% during the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 15,639,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,512,000 after purchasing an additional 7,862,672 shares during the last quarter. Private Management Group Inc. raised its holdings in Ambev by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 14,512,234 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,848,000 after purchasing an additional 1,083,882 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Ambev by 76.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 52,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 22,880 shares during the last quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP raised its holdings in Ambev by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP now owns 13,063,556 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,168,000 after purchasing an additional 552,220 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC raised its holdings in Ambev by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 65,189 shares of the company’s stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 7,211 shares during the last quarter. 8.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ambev Price Performance

Ambev stock opened at $2.52 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.97, a PEG ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.80. Ambev S.A. has a 1 year low of $1.76 and a 1 year high of $2.64. The business has a 50-day moving average of $2.40 and a 200-day moving average of $2.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

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

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a — dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a $0.0219 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a dividend yield of 5%. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group cut Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays boosted their price objective on Ambev from $2.00 to $2.50 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley lowered Ambev from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on Ambev in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a “buy” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $2.70.

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.