Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Shares Sold by Hills Bank & Trust Co

Hills Bank & Trust Co lowered its stake in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 21.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 931 shares of the company’s stock after selling 250 shares during the quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $206,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. HMV Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $490,000. Intact Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. now owns 19,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,199,000 after buying an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $9,591,000. Tredje AP fonden lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 51.7% in the fourth quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 134,376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,697,000 after buying an additional 45,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,216 shares of the company’s stock valued at $490,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

STZ stock opened at $181.46 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $32.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.78, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a twelve month low of $160.46 and a twelve month high of $274.87. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $180.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $219.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.19 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is currently 108.60%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William T. Giles purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STZ has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $293.00 to $289.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Roth Capital cut their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, November 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.81.

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.