Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $175.3684.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on STZ. Evercore set a $175.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on Constellation Brands from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Constellation Brands from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In related news, EVP James O. Bourdeau sold 4,407 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total transaction of $631,258.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,109 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,304,773.16. This trade represents a 32.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 12.45% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Constellation Brands

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of STZ. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $221,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,409,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 69.9% during the 2nd quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 1,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 17,347 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,822,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 23,732 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,861,000 after purchasing an additional 1,127 shares in the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

NYSE STZ opened at $151.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.55. Constellation Brands has a 1-year low of $126.45 and a 1-year high of $190.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.43. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $152.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $148.46.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 26.18%. The company’s revenue was down 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.63 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Constellation Brands will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 29th. This is an increase from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.96%.

About Constellation Brands

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.