Emerald Advisers LLC Has $403,000 Stock Position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Emerald Advisers LLC lessened its position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 55.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,824 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,285 shares during the quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $403,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 1,844.7% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 924,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,265,000 after purchasing an additional 876,745 shares in the last quarter. Copperleaf Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter worth about $343,000. Grimes & Company Inc. acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter worth about $6,099,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 62.8% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,663,000 after acquiring an additional 6,391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Southern Style Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,074,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

NYSE STZ opened at $177.73 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $177.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $216.87. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a twelve month low of $160.46 and a twelve month high of $274.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.12 billion, a PE ratio of 47.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued 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). The business had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 6.27%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.19 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is 108.60%.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In other news, Director William T. Giles bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at $272,688.57. This represents a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STZ has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $293.00 to $289.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $203.00 price target (down from $262.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $201.00 price objective (down from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley downgraded Constellation Brands from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $220.00 to $202.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Roth Capital dropped their target price on Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $250.41.

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.