Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

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

Ambev Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ABEV traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $2.27. The company had a trading volume of 14,382,362 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,935,701. The stock has a market cap of $35.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.58, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.08. Ambev has a 12 month low of $2.25 and a 12 month high of $3.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $2.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $2.63.

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

Institutional Trading of Ambev

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Radnor Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Ambev during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Perennial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ambev during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Ambev during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Ambev during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Ambev during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a report on Friday, March 1st. Barclays cut Ambev from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $3.50 to $3.00 in a report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Ambev in a report on Friday, January 26th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3.20.

Ambev Company Profile

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.