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

Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seventeen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fifteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $296.29.

Several research analysts have recently commented on STZ shares. Roth Mkm reduced their target price on Constellation Brands from $303.00 to $298.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Constellation Brands from $310.00 to $311.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Constellation Brands from $320.00 to $307.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $287.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Friday, July 5th.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 0.1 %

STZ opened at $248.09 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.19. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $245.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $253.98. The firm has a market cap of $45.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.75. Constellation Brands has a twelve month low of $227.50 and a twelve month high of $274.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 3rd. The company reported $3.57 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.46 by $0.11. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 23.72% and a net margin of 22.70%. The company had revenue of $2.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.91 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Constellation Brands will post 13.53 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 14th were given a dividend of $1.01 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 14th. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.10%.

Insider Activity

In other Constellation Brands news, CFO Garth Hankinson sold 13,583 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $3,259,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 11,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,808,480. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Constellation Brands news, EVP Kaneenat Kristann Carey sold 977 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.00, for a total transaction of $254,997.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 2,706 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $706,266. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Garth Hankinson sold 13,583 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $3,259,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 11,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,808,480. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 16,414 shares of company stock worth $3,982,922 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Constellation Brands

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Constellation Brands by 3.5% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,705,793 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,724,686,000 after buying an additional 462,891 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its stake in Constellation Brands by 39.4% in the 1st quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 11,685,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,175,583,000 after purchasing an additional 3,304,709 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,040,669 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,456,892,000 after purchasing an additional 723,549 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,469,997 shares of the company’s stock worth $671,246,000 after purchasing an additional 222,380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 5.7% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,335,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $343,717,000 after buying an additional 72,637 shares in the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.