Ninety One North America Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Ninety One North America Inc. decreased its position in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,706,788 shares of the company’s stock after selling 898,358 shares during the quarter. Ambev makes up 2.1% of Ninety One North America Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Ninety One North America Inc. owned 0.10% of Ambev worth $43,979,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Westwood Global Investments LLC raised its stake in Ambev by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Westwood Global Investments LLC now owns 107,182,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,531,000 after buying an additional 3,229,411 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. raised its position in shares of Ambev by 8.1% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 58,604,106 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,361,000 after buying an additional 4,368,652 shares in the last quarter. Ruffer LLP raised its position in shares of Ambev by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ruffer LLP now owns 45,818,515 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,442,000 after buying an additional 888,510 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Ambev by 244.5% during the 2nd quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 43,146,270 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,297,000 after buying an additional 30,623,051 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Ambev by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 36,312,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $102,401,000 after purchasing an additional 754,570 shares during the period. 8.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ambev Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:ABEV traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $2.25. The stock had a trading volume of 6,957,075 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,901,849. Ambev S.A. has a 1 year low of $2.23 and a 1 year high of $3.23. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $2.50 and its 200-day moving average is $2.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.08.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.04 billion during the quarter. Ambev had a net margin of 18.19% and a return on equity of 17.60%. Research analysts predict that Ambev S.A. will post 0.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ABEV shares. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Ambev in a research report on Friday, January 26th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Barclays downgraded shares of Ambev from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $3.50 to $3.00 in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a report on Friday, March 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3.20.

About Ambev

Ambev SA, through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, distribution, and sale of beer, draft beer, carbonated soft drinks, other non-alcoholic beverages, malt, and food products. It offers beer primarily under the Skol, Brahma, Antarctica, Brahva, Budweiser, Bud Light, Beck, Leffe and Hoegaarden, 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, Banks, Deputy, Patricia, Labatt Blue, Alexander Keith's, and Kokanee brands.