Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Holdings Lowered by Leeward Investments LLC MA

Leeward Investments LLC MA trimmed its stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,751 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,238 shares during the period. Leeward Investments LLC MA’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $7,901,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 1,844.7% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 924,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $204,265,000 after acquiring an additional 876,745 shares in the last quarter. Copperleaf Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth approximately $343,000. Grimes & Company Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,099,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 62.8% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,575 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,663,000 after acquiring an additional 6,391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Southern Style Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at $3,074,000. 77.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

STZ opened at $176.00 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $31.81 billion, a PE ratio of 47.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $194.29 and a 200-day moving average of $225.71. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $160.46 and a 52-week high of $274.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.08). Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.19 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 108.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

STZ has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $203.00 target price (down previously from $262.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Argus downgraded shares of Constellation Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $254.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Constellation Brands

In other 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 acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $272,688.57. The trade was a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

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.