William A. Newlands Sells 4,013 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Stock

Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) CEO William A. Newlands sold 4,013 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.25, for a total value of $1,056,422.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,420,233.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

STZ opened at $261.55 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $47.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $259.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $247.67. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.81 and a 1-year high of $274.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 23.06% and a net margin of 16.13%. Constellation Brands’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.98 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.01 per share. This is an increase from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STZ has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group upped their price objective on Constellation Brands from $312.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Barclays increased their target price on Constellation Brands from $294.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Argus raised Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $306.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.55.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Constellation Brands

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of STZ. CWM LLC increased its position in Constellation Brands by 7.4% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,453 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,119,000 after buying an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Constellation Brands by 32.0% during the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,288 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,078,000 after buying an additional 1,040 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Constellation Brands by 34.7% during the third quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 322 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the third quarter valued at $572,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 8.5% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $490,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Company 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 Premier, Corona Familiar, Corona Light, Corona Refresca, Corona Hard Seltzer, Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, Modelo Chelada, Victoria, Vicky Chamoy, and Pacifico brands.