Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ) Receives $175.26 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-two ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $175.2632.

STZ has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group boosted 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $185.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Friday, April 10th. Barclays upped their price target on Constellation Brands from $151.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Constellation Brands from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, May 18th.

Constellation Brands Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE STZ opened at $148.45 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $25.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.39. Constellation Brands has a 52 week low of $126.45 and a 52 week high of $178.13. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $149.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $149.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 8th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.18% and a net margin of 17.29%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.63 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Constellation Brands will post 11.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 29th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.96%.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In other Constellation Brands news, EVP James O. Bourdeau sold 4,407 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,109 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,304,773.16. This represents a 32.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 12.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Constellation Brands

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,202,611 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,451,346,000 after purchasing an additional 573,766 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,238,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $998,740,000 after purchasing an additional 553,974 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,911,369 shares of the company’s stock valued at $953,492,000 after purchasing an additional 329,337 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 48.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 6,442,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $888,930,000 after purchasing an additional 2,105,546 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,018,653 shares of the company’s stock valued at $830,333,000 after purchasing an additional 739,393 shares during the period. 77.34% of the stock is owned by 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.