Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) EVP Sells $631,258.68 in Stock

Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ) EVP James Bourdeau sold 4,407 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total value of $631,258.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 9,109 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,304,773.16. This trade represents a 32.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of STZ opened at $142.55 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $24.55 billion, a PE ratio of 14.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $152.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $148.03. Constellation Brands Inc has a 12-month low of $126.45 and a 12-month high of $196.91.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 8th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.18% and a net margin of 17.29%.Constellation Brands’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.63 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Constellation Brands Inc will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 29th were issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 29th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. This is a positive change from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is 42.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on STZ shares. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on Constellation Brands from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Barclays raised their price objective on Constellation Brands from $151.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Constellation Brands from $155.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. UBS Group raised their price objective on Constellation Brands from $176.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Evercore set a $175.00 price objective on Constellation Brands and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $176.30.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Constellation Brands

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 329.8% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 73,323 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,874,000 after buying an additional 56,263 shares during the last quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. now owns 35,316 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,756,000 after buying an additional 6,542 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 867,776 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,300,000 after buying an additional 49,625 shares during the last quarter. Arlington Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 146.9% in the 3rd quarter. Arlington Partners LLC now owns 35,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,768,000 after buying an additional 21,067 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cambiar Investors LLC grew its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 27.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cambiar Investors LLC now owns 227,218 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,599,000 after buying an additional 48,954 shares during the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Company Profile

Constellation Brands, Inc is a leading producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits, with operations spanning production, importation, marketing and distribution. The company’s beverage portfolio includes a range of premium and mainstream wines and spirits alongside major imported beer brands; in the U.S. market Constellation is widely known for its role in bringing Mexican imports such as Corona and Modelo to American consumers. Constellation supplies retail, on‑premise and foodservice channels and supports its brands with national sales and marketing platforms and supply‑chain capabilities.

The company traces its roots to the Canandaigua Wine Company, founded by Marvin Sands in 1945, and evolved through organic growth and acquisition into a diversified beverage company.