Constellation Brands’ (STZ) Neutral Rating Reaffirmed at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated their neutral rating on shares of Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) in a research report report published on Monday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have a $203.00 target price on the stock, down from their prior target price of $262.00.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on STZ. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Constellation Brands from $270.00 to $260.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $255.00 price objective (down previously from $300.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, October 7th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $280.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Friday. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $282.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $298.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Friday, October 4th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $268.05.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of STZ stock opened at $185.84 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.14, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $230.80 and a 200 day moving average of $240.79. Constellation Brands has a 52 week low of $176.51 and a 52 week high of $274.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.08). Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 25.34% and a net margin of 5.29%. The company had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.19 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Constellation Brands will post 13.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is 130.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Constellation Brands news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 7,426 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.24, for a total value of $1,761,744.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 7,274 shares in the company, valued at $1,725,683.76. This represents a 50.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 36,086 shares of the firm’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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,042 shares in the company, valued at $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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 188,446 shares of company stock valued at $45,687,281. 12.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Constellation Brands

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Constellation Brands by 887.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the third quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the second quarter worth $57,000. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

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.