AJOVista LLC Buys New Shares in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

AJOVista LLC purchased a new position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $137,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 3,833.3% in the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 118 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the third quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on STZ shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Constellation Brands from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.55.

Constellation Brands Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE STZ traded up $2.00 during trading on Friday, reaching $256.08. 735,854 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,409,209. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.81 and a 12-month high of $274.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market cap of $46.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.95. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $260.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $248.69.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 23.06%. Constellation Brands’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.98 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. This is an increase from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is currently 43.07%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Constellation Brands

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 shares were sold at an average price of $263.25, for a total value of $1,056,422.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,420,233.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 4,013 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,420,233.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.63, for a total value of $4,160,345.03. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,910 shares in the company, valued at $5,512,503.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 16.19% 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.