Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Shares Sold by Ballast Inc.

Ballast Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 10.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,599 shares of the company’s stock after selling 183 shares during the period. Ballast Inc.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $387,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 2,414 shares of the company’s stock valued at $584,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 156.1% in the 4th quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 1,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 640 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA now owns 34,977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,455,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. RNC Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. RNC Capital Management LLC now owns 19,623 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,744,000 after purchasing an additional 603 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Columbia Trust Co 01012016 increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 23.1% in the 4th quarter. Columbia Trust Co 01012016 now owns 1,089 shares of the company’s stock valued at $263,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In related news, major shareholder Family Foundation Sands sold 354,616 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.26, for a total transaction of $88,746,200.16. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 54,461 shares in the company, valued at $13,629,409.86. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 16.19% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:STZ opened at $271.77 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $253.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $246.36. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52 week low of $217.05 and a 52 week high of $273.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.16, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 5th. The company reported $3.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.03 by $0.16. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 14.76% and a return on equity of 23.35%. The company had revenue of $2.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.83 earnings per share. Constellation Brands’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 11.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, February 8th were paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 7th. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.31%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on STZ shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Constellation Brands from $309.00 to $301.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Wednesday. TheStreet cut shares of Constellation Brands from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Finally, Argus cut shares of Constellation Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Constellation Brands has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $290.37.

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.