Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Short Interest Down 7.5% in March

Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) saw a significant drop in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,060,000 shares, a drop of 7.5% from the March 15th total of 4,390,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 12,010,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.3 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ABEV. Barclays downgraded 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 report on Monday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a report on Friday, March 1st. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Ambev in a report on Friday, January 26th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3.20.

Ambev Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:ABEV traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $2.27. 14,382,362 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,935,701. The stock has a market cap of $35.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. Ambev has a 12-month low of $2.25 and a 12-month high of $3.23. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $2.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $2.64.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 29th. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.01. Ambev had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 18.19%. The business had revenue of $4.04 billion for the quarter. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ambev will post 0.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in shares of Ambev by 117.5% during the 1st quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 8,233 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 4,448 shares during the last quarter. Perennial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ambev in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. IPG Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ambev in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Radnor Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ambev in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ambev in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.13% of the company’s stock.

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.