MUFG Securities EMEA plc Purchases 53,746 Shares of Constellation Brands Inc $STZ

MUFG Securities EMEA plc increased its position in Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ) by 1,966.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 56,479 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 53,746 shares during the quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $7,792,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 3.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,202,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,451,346,000 after purchasing an additional 573,766 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 0.7% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,337,054 shares of the company’s stock worth $584,135,000 after purchasing an additional 28,036 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,739,549 shares of the company’s stock worth $513,871,000 after purchasing an additional 54,184 shares in the last quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 1.0% in the third quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 3,710,940 shares of the company’s stock worth $499,752,000 after purchasing an additional 35,085 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 76.7% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,126,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $421,059,000 after purchasing an additional 1,356,903 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In other news, EVP James O. Bourdeau sold 4,407 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total transaction of $631,258.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 9,109 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,304,773.16. This represents a 32.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 12.45% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of STZ opened at $138.78 on Monday. Constellation Brands Inc has a 12 month low of $126.45 and a 12 month high of $180.41. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $152.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $149.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market cap of $23.90 billion, a PE ratio of 14.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.39.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 8th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.19. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.18% and a net margin of 17.29%.The firm had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.63 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Constellation Brands Inc will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th were issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 29th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. This is a boost from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STZ has been the topic of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen raised Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $142.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Constellation Brands from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Evercore set a $175.00 price objective on Constellation Brands and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on Constellation Brands from $154.00 to $152.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $175.26.

Constellation Brands Profile

Constellation Brands, Inc is a leading producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits, with operations spanning production, importation, marketing and distribution. The company’s beverage portfolio includes a range of premium and mainstream wines and spirits alongside major imported beer brands; in the U.S. market Constellation is widely known for its role in bringing Mexican imports such as Corona and Modelo to American consumers. Constellation supplies retail, on‑premise and foodservice channels and supports its brands with national sales and marketing platforms and supply‑chain capabilities.

The company traces its roots to the Canandaigua Wine Company, founded by Marvin Sands in 1945, and evolved through organic growth and acquisition into a diversified beverage company.