Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fifteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $288.70.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Constellation Brands from $310.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Barclays dropped their target price on Constellation Brands from $309.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $298.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Friday, October 4th. TD Cowen lowered Constellation Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $300.00 to $270.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on Constellation Brands from $320.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 9th.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of STZ opened at $238.99 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $43.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 77.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.75. Constellation Brands has a 12 month low of $224.76 and a 12 month high of $274.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $240.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $246.35.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 3rd. The company reported $4.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.08 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 25.34% and a net margin of 5.29%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.70 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands will post 13.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 5th were given a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 5th. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is 130.74%.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In other Constellation Brands news, EVP Samuel J. Glaetzer sold 1,510 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.57, for a total value of $370,810.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,970 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,220,482.90. This represents a 23.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 36,086 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.99, for a total transaction of $8,768,537.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,042 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,898,045.58. The trade was a 69.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 189,956 shares of company stock valued at $46,058,091 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Constellation Brands

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. New Millennium Group LLC purchased a new position in Constellation Brands in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Wellington Shields & Co. LLC raised its holdings in Constellation Brands by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Constellation Brands

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.