Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) EVP James A. Jr. Sabia Sells 15,781 Shares

Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.63, for a total value of $4,160,345.03. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,512,503.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 0.2 %

STZ stock opened at $257.31 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.43, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.19. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a one year low of $221.81 and a one year high of $274.87. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $257.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $247.13.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.16. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 23.06% and a net margin of 16.13%. The company had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.98 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. This is a positive change from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on STZ shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Constellation Brands from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. HSBC raised their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.55.

Institutional Trading of Constellation Brands

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in STZ. D.B. Root & Company LLC acquired a new position in Constellation Brands in the first quarter valued at $477,000. Guidance Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the 1st quarter valued at about $251,000. Fox Hill Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 1st quarter worth about $213,000. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO increased its position in Constellation Brands by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 5,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,584,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chemung Canal Trust Co. raised its holdings in Constellation Brands by 629.7% in the first quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 17,614 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,787,000 after buying an additional 15,200 shares during the period. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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 Premier, Corona Familiar, Corona Light, Corona Refresca, Corona Hard Seltzer, Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, Modelo Chelada, Victoria, Vicky Chamoy, and Pacifico brands.