Analysts Set Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) PT at $259.05

Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $257.14.

STZ has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $282.00 to $214.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $308.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In other Constellation Brands news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 36,086 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.99, for a total value of $8,768,537.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,898,045.58. This trade represents a 69.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO William A. Newlands sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.58, for a total transaction of $6,089,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 7,274 shares in the company, valued at $1,771,800.92. This represents a 77.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 61,746 shares of company stock valued at $15,017,097. Insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Constellation Brands

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Oakworth Capital Inc. increased its position in Constellation Brands by 4.4% during the third quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,150 shares of the company’s stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its holdings in Constellation Brands by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 5,570 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,435,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its position in Constellation Brands by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 858 shares of the company’s stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its stake in Constellation Brands by 4.6% in the third quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 1,158 shares of the company’s stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of Constellation Brands stock opened at $183.16 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $33.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.24, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.46. Constellation Brands has a 1 year low of $176.51 and a 1 year high of $274.87. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $220.02 and its 200 day moving average is $235.70.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. Constellation Brands’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.19 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands will post 13.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 108.60%.

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.