Constellation Brands Inc $STZ Shares Purchased by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ) by 11.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,397,275 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 237,073 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned 1.38% of Constellation Brands worth $330,728,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in Constellation Brands by 50.2% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 12,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,774,000 after purchasing an additional 4,295 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $316,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Constellation Brands by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,014,884 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,013,000 after purchasing an additional 64,016 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP boosted its stake in Constellation Brands by 34.7% during the 4th quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 129,969 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,931,000 after purchasing an additional 33,508 shares during the period. Finally, Macquarie Group Ltd. boosted its stake in Constellation Brands by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 11,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,617,000 after purchasing an additional 1,309 shares during the period. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Constellation Brands Stock Up 3.7%

NYSE STZ opened at $148.45 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $149.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $149.82. Constellation Brands Inc has a 12 month low of $126.45 and a 12 month high of $178.13. The company has a market capitalization of $25.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.48, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.39.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.19. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 26.18%. The business had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.63 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Constellation Brands Inc will post 11.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 29th were given a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 29th. This is a boost from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is presently 42.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STZ has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $176.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Evercore set a $175.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, May 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $175.26.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP James O. Bourdeau sold 4,407 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total transaction of $631,258.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,109 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,304,773.16. The trade was a 32.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 12.45% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Company Profile

Constellation Brands, Inc is a leading producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits, with operations spanning production, importation, marketing and distribution. The company’s beverage portfolio includes a range of premium and mainstream wines and spirits alongside major imported beer brands; in the U.S. market Constellation is widely known for its role in bringing Mexican imports such as Corona and Modelo to American consumers. Constellation supplies retail, on‑premise and foodservice channels and supports its brands with national sales and marketing platforms and supply‑chain capabilities.

The company traces its roots to the Canandaigua Wine Company, founded by Marvin Sands in 1945, and evolved through organic growth and acquisition into a diversified beverage company.