Constellation Brands Inc $STZ Shares Acquired by Swedbank AB

Swedbank AB increased its stake in Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ) by 108.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 63,055 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 32,757 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $8,699,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 310,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,876,000 after acquiring an additional 23,005 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 89.5% in the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,969 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 930 shares during the last quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 25.1% during the fourth quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 36,590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,048,000 after buying an additional 7,349 shares in the last quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 404.8% during the fourth quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 2,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 1,615 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Souders Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $218,000. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STZ has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Evercore set a $175.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $146.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $176.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $155.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. One equities research 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $176.30.

Constellation Brands Trading Down 1.5%

STZ opened at $148.00 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.75. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $154.20 and its 200-day moving average is $147.99. Constellation Brands Inc has a 52-week low of $126.45 and a 52-week high of $196.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

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

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is an increase from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is 42.96%.

About Constellation Brands

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.