Virtu Financial LLC Acquires New Position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 26,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,883,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth approximately $9,799,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $110,000. iA Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 331.4% during the fourth quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,299,000 after purchasing an additional 7,990 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC bought a new stake in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at $1,018,000. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 777.6% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 9,636 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,130,000 after acquiring an additional 8,538 shares in the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of Constellation Brands stock opened at $177.73 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $177.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $217.28. The company has a market capitalization of $32.12 billion, a PE ratio of 47.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.90. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.19 EPS. Constellation Brands’s quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is currently 108.60%.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In other Constellation Brands news, Director William T. Giles purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $186.39 per share, for a total transaction of $186,390.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at $272,688.57. This represents a 215.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 12.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on STZ. StockNews.com lowered Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $201.00 target price (down previously from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Roth Capital cut their price target on Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $203.00 price objective (down from $262.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Constellation Brands from $214.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $250.41.

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.