Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Buys New Shares in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $944,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gotham Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 541.4% in the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 49,752 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,995,000 after buying an additional 41,995 shares in the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $655,000. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 485.1% in the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 112,516 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,866,000 after buying an additional 93,285 shares in the last quarter. Ethic Inc. grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 30,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,773,000 after buying an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Manhattan CO. LLC. grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 17,426 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,851,000 after buying an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In related news, EVP Samuel J. Glaetzer sold 3,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.54, for a total value of $593,901.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 3,126 shares in the company, valued at $589,376.04. This trade represents a 50.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 12.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial upgraded Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Roth Mkm reduced their price target on Constellation Brands from $284.00 to $256.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Constellation Brands from $203.00 to $194.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Constellation Brands from $203.00 to $207.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $225.74.

Constellation Brands Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of Constellation Brands stock opened at $190.50 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $183.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $199.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.21, 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 $265.70.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 9th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.14 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 6.27%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.26 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast 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 was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 29th were given a $1.02 dividend. This is a boost from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 29th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -800.00%.

Constellation Brands Company 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.