NFJ Investment Group LLC Trims Stock Position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

NFJ Investment Group LLC decreased its position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 106,272 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,110 shares during the period. NFJ Investment Group LLC owned 0.06% of Constellation Brands worth $23,486,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,357 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,626,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. BSW Wealth Partners boosted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,563 shares of the company’s stock worth $345,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC raised its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC now owns 923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Oak Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Constellation Brands by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Oak Asset Management LLC now owns 17,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,892,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barden Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Constellation Brands by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Barden Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,574 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,232,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In related news, Director William T. Giles purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $186.39 per share, for a total transaction of $186,390.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $272,688.57. This trade represents a 215.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 1.8 %

Constellation Brands stock opened at $183.81 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $177.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $208.04. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a twelve month low of $160.46 and a twelve month high of $265.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.41, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. 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 Wednesday, April 9th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.14 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. Constellation Brands’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.26 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th will be given a dividend of $1.02 per share. This is a boost from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 29th. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.22%. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is presently -800.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on STZ shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Argus lowered shares of Constellation Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $201.00 price objective (down from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $202.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Roth Capital cut their price target on Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $224.42.

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.