StockNews.com Downgrades Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) to Sell

StockNews.com lowered shares of Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday.

STZ has been the subject of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $203.00 price target (down previously from $262.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, January 13th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, November 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $201.00 price target (down previously from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Constellation Brands from $293.00 to $289.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.81.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of STZ stock opened at $181.46 on Friday. Constellation Brands has a 1-year low of $160.46 and a 1-year high of $274.87. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $180.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $219.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The company has a market cap of $32.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.08). Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 6.27%. The business had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.19 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Constellation Brands will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is presently 108.60%.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In other news, Director William T. Giles acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $186.39 per share, for a total transaction of $186,390.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $272,688.57. This represents a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 company. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.