Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Shares Sold by NS Partners Ltd

NS Partners Ltd cut its stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,349 shares of the company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the quarter. NS Partners Ltd’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $6,265,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Metis Global Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 0.8% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 5,570 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,435,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 1.3% in the third quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 4,205 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,084,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,382 shares of the company’s stock worth $872,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in Constellation Brands by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,357 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,626,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BSW Wealth Partners lifted its stake in Constellation Brands by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,563 shares of the company’s stock valued at $345,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William T. Giles bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $272,688.57. The trade was a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 12.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on STZ. Roth Capital reduced their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley downgraded Constellation Brands from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $220.00 to $202.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, November 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price target for the company. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.24.

Constellation Brands Trading Up 4.3 %

Shares of STZ opened at $186.64 on Friday. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $160.46 and a 52-week high of $274.87. The stock has a market cap of $33.73 billion, a PE ratio of 50.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $184.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $221.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.08). Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 6.27%. The business had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.19 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.01 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is 108.60%.

About Constellation Brands

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.