AJOVista LLC Acquires Shares of 568 Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

AJOVista LLC bought a new stake in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $137,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,050,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,018,005,000 after purchasing an additional 58,518 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Constellation Brands by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,499,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $376,752,000 after buying an additional 53,862 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Constellation Brands by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,015,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $255,126,000 after buying an additional 85,330 shares during the period. Darsana Capital Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 288.9% in the 3rd quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 875,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $219,914,000 after acquiring an additional 650,000 shares during the period. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 9.9% in the third quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 800,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,236,000 after acquiring an additional 71,979 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on STZ. Barclays lifted their price objective on Constellation Brands from $294.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Constellation Brands from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.55.

Constellation Brands Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of STZ stock traded up $2.00 on Friday, reaching $256.08. 735,854 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,409,209. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market cap of $46.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $260.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $248.69. 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 quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 23.06% and a net margin of 16.13%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.98 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.51 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a $1.01 dividend. This is a positive change 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 1.58%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.07%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Constellation Brands

In other news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.63, for a total value of $4,160,345.03. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,512,503.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Constellation Brands news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.63, for a total transaction of $4,160,345.03. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,910 shares in the company, valued at $5,512,503.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO William A. Newlands sold 4,013 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,420,233.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 16.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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 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.