Insider Selling: Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) EVP Sells $827,053.50 in Stock

Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) EVP Michael Mcgrew sold 3,237 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.50, for a total transaction of $827,053.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $442,270.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of STZ opened at $260.70 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $261.48 and a 200 day moving average of $249.30. The company has a market capitalization of $47.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.79, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.75. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $223.01 and a 12 month high of $274.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.16. The firm 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 business’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.98 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be paid a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.55%. This is a boost from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is presently 43.07%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lifted its stake in Constellation Brands by 1.1% in the first quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $999,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 16.5% in the first quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC now owns 2,499 shares of the company’s stock valued at $604,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,352 shares of the company’s stock worth $569,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, FAS Wealth Partners Inc. increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 1,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on STZ. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $312.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Constellation Brands from $292.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, HSBC upped their target price on Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.55.

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.