Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Shares Sold by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank decreased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 79,692 shares of the company’s stock after selling 333 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $17,612,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of STZ. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 1,844.7% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 924,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,265,000 after buying an additional 876,745 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $105,766,000. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 6.0% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,144,428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,841,048,000 after purchasing an additional 402,211 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 54.9% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 453,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,373,000 after purchasing an additional 160,563 shares during the period. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,656,000. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

STZ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Constellation Brands from $270.00 to $260.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Roth Capital lowered their price target on Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.24.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director William T. Giles bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at $272,688.57. This trade represents a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE STZ opened at $185.57 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $182.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $220.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.88, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $160.46 and a 52-week high of $274.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.08). Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 6.27%. The company had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.19 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 108.60%.

Constellation Brands 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.