Sei Investments Co. Boosts Stock Holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 217,539 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,672 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $48,080,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Constellation Brands news, Director William T. Giles acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $272,688.57. This represents a 215.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Constellation Brands from $270.00 to $260.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $203.00 price target (down previously from $262.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, January 13th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $214.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, November 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $250.41.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE STZ opened at $177.73 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $177.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $216.87. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $160.46 and a 52-week high of $274.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.90.

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

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.