Welch & Forbes LLC Sells 4,683 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Welch & Forbes LLC trimmed its holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 5.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 75,870 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,683 shares during the quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $16,767,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 887.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In other Constellation Brands news, Director William T. Giles bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $186.39 per share, for a total transaction of $186,390.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $272,688.57. The trade was a 215.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STZ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, November 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price target for the company. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $293.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley cut Constellation Brands from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $220.00 to $202.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.43.

Constellation Brands Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of STZ stock opened at $179.00 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $185.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $221.84. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $160.46 and a 1 year high of $274.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.08). Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The company had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.19 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is 108.60%.

Constellation Brands Profile

Constellation Brands, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, produces, imports, markets, and sells beer, wine, and spirits in the United States, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. The company provides beer primarily under the Corona Extra, Corona Familiar, Corona Hard Seltzer, Corona Light, Corona Non-Alcoholic, Corona Premier, Corona Refresca, Modelo Especial, Modelo Chelada, Modelo Negra, Modelo Oro, Victoria, Vicky Chamoy, and Pacifico brands.