Ruffer LLP Has $47.69 Million Stock Holdings in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Ruffer LLP cut its holdings in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 47.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 25,776,672 shares of the company’s stock after selling 22,860,249 shares during the quarter. Ambev makes up about 1.7% of Ruffer LLP’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Ruffer LLP’s holdings in Ambev were worth $47,687,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. MCIA Inc acquired a new position in shares of Ambev in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Insight Inv LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ambev in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Ambev in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Naviter Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Ambev in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Ambev in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ambev Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE ABEV opened at $2.24 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. Ambev S.A. has a twelve month low of $1.76 and a twelve month high of $2.58. The company has a market cap of $35.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.94. The business’s fifty day moving average is $1.89 and its 200 day moving average is $2.13.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.06 by ($0.01). Ambev had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 16.12%. The firm had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.42 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.0221 per share. This represents a $0.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.95%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays dropped their price objective on Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America cut Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Ambev in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ambev presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $2.45.

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.