Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Sunday morning.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on BUD. Argus upgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Berenberg Bank started coverage on shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $70.10 to $88.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $71.50.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Price Performance

BUD opened at $68.52 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $123.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.15, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.83. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a fifty-two week low of $45.94 and a fifty-two week high of $68.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.69. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $64.00 and a 200 day moving average of $56.89.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The consumer goods maker reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.04. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV had a net margin of 10.98% and a return on equity of 15.29%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.75 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV will post 3.37 EPS for the current year.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 7th will be given a $1.0492 dividend. This represents a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 7th. This is an increase from Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV’s previous annual dividend of $0.87. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV’s dividend payout ratio is 22.32%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BUD. Dodge & Cox grew its holdings in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 27.7% during the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 39,996,830 shares of the consumer goods maker’s stock worth $2,002,641,000 after acquiring an additional 8,670,940 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in the fourth quarter valued at $56,849,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in the fourth quarter valued at $37,311,000. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in the fourth quarter valued at $28,540,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 7,569,492 shares of the consumer goods maker’s stock worth $379,004,000 after purchasing an additional 505,206 shares in the last quarter. 5.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV produces, distributes, exports, markets, and sells beer and beverages. It offers a portfolio of approximately 500 beer brands, which primarily include Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois; Beck's, Hoegaarden, Leffe, and Michelob Ultra; and Aguila, Antarctica, Bud Light, Brahma, Cass, Castle, Castle Lite, Cristal, Harbin, Jupiler, Modelo Especial, Quilmes, Victoria, Sedrin, and Skol brands.