National Pension Service Has $40.70 Million Holdings in Constellation Brands Inc $STZ

National Pension Service boosted its holdings in Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ) by 10.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 295,008 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 27,441 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $40,699,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Stance Capital LLC bought a new position in Constellation Brands in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC bought a new position in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Constellation Brands by 572.3% in the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 316 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP James O. Bourdeau sold 4,407 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total transaction of $631,258.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,109 shares in the company, valued at $1,304,773.16. This trade represents a 32.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 12.45% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Shares of STZ opened at $138.78 on Monday. Constellation Brands Inc has a 1 year low of $126.45 and a 1 year high of $180.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company has a market capitalization of $23.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.39. The business has a 50-day moving average of $152.10 and a 200-day moving average of $149.28.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 8th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.19. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.18% and a net margin of 17.29%.The company had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.63 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands Inc will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th were given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. This is a positive change from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 29th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is 42.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STZ has been the subject of several research reports. Evercore set a $175.00 target price on Constellation Brands and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Constellation Brands from $160.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Constellation Brands from $146.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Constellation Brands from $154.00 to $152.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on Constellation Brands from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.26.

Constellation Brands Company Profile

Constellation Brands, Inc is a leading producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits, with operations spanning production, importation, marketing and distribution. The company’s beverage portfolio includes a range of premium and mainstream wines and spirits alongside major imported beer brands; in the U.S. market Constellation is widely known for its role in bringing Mexican imports such as Corona and Modelo to American consumers. Constellation supplies retail, on?premise and foodservice channels and supports its brands with national sales and marketing platforms and supply?chain capabilities.

The company traces its roots to the Canandaigua Wine Company, founded by Marvin Sands in 1945, and evolved through organic growth and acquisition into a diversified beverage company.