Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) saw a significant growth in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,090,000 shares, a growth of 25.4% from the March 31st total of 4,060,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 13,010,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.4 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ABEV. Baron Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ambev by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,362 shares of the company’s stock worth $107,000 after buying an additional 3,963 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in Ambev by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 502,445 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,296,000 after purchasing an additional 3,985 shares during the period. Hartford Financial Management Inc. raised its stake in Ambev by 49.9% during the 4th quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 12,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 4,238 shares during the period. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its holdings in Ambev by 37.2% during the 3rd quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 16,021 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 4,348 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jeppson Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Ambev by 11.8% during the 3rd quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC now owns 41,755 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 4,400 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 8.13% of the company’s stock.

Ambev Stock Performance

Shares of Ambev stock traded down $0.03 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $2.33. 11,225,374 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,897,479. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.66. Ambev has a 1 year low of $2.23 and a 1 year high of $3.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.92, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $2.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $2.62.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.01. Ambev had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 18.19%. The company had revenue of $4.04 billion for the quarter. As a group, analysts forecast that Ambev will post 0.19 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on ABEV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a research note on Friday, March 1st. StockNews.com started coverage on Ambev in a research report on Friday, January 26th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Barclays downgraded Ambev from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $3.50 to $3.00 in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.