Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seventeen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $299.21.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Friday, July 5th. UBS Group increased their target price on Constellation Brands from $315.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 5th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $310.00 to $311.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 5th. Roth Mkm lowered their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $305.00 to $303.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $308.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st.

Insider Activity

In other Constellation Brands news, EVP Kaneenat Kristann Carey sold 977 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.00, for a total value of $254,997.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,706 shares in the company, valued at $706,266. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, Director Daniel J. Mccarthy sold 1,854 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.43, for a total value of $468,005.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,232 shares in the company, valued at approximately $815,853.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kaneenat Kristann Carey sold 977 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.00, for a total value of $254,997.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,706 shares in the company, valued at $706,266. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 16,414 shares of company stock worth $3,982,922. Insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Constellation Brands

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of STZ. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.5% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,705,793 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,724,686,000 after acquiring an additional 462,891 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 3,304,709 shares during the period. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 8.7% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,040,669 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,456,892,000 after buying an additional 723,549 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in Constellation Brands by 9.9% during the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,469,997 shares of the company’s stock worth $671,246,000 after acquiring an additional 222,380 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $443,844,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of STZ opened at $240.37 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $249.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $253.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. Constellation Brands has a 52 week low of $227.50 and a 52 week high of $274.87. The stock has a market cap of $43.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.91, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.75.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 3rd. The company reported $3.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.46 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.67 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 23.72% and a net margin of 22.70%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.91 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Constellation Brands will post 13.57 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 14th were paid a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 14th. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.10%.

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.