Leeward Investments LLC MA Raises Holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Leeward Investments LLC MA increased its position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 4.0% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 48,655 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,860 shares during the period. Leeward Investments LLC MA’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $13,223,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in STZ. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. First Financial Corp IN purchased a new position in Constellation Brands in the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. 77.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 4,013 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.25, for a total transaction of $1,056,422.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,420,233.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.54, for a total transaction of $6,538,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 14,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,844,638. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO William A. Newlands sold 4,013 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.25, for a total value of $1,056,422.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,420,233.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 48,031 shares of company stock valued at $12,582,321. Insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

STZ has been the topic of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Constellation Brands from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $308.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Constellation Brands from $291.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $300.16.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

STZ stock traded up $1.79 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $252.16. The company had a trading volume of 112,944 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,196,489. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $254.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $253.97. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $227.50 and a fifty-two week high of $274.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.14 billion, a PE ratio of 26.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 3rd. The company reported $3.57 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.91 earnings per share. Constellation Brands’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.07%.

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.