Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Shares Sold by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Pacer Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 31.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,830 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,052 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $4,382,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Grimes & Company Inc. bought a new position in Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter valued at about $6,099,000. Paloma Partners Management Co boosted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 568.4% in the third quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 30,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,731,000 after acquiring an additional 25,512 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Constellation Brands by 3.7% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 84,204 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,699,000 after purchasing an additional 2,980 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 318.8% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,184 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,624,000 after purchasing an additional 7,752 shares during the period. Finally, WealthPlan Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Constellation Brands by 29.5% during the 3rd quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 30,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,772,000 after purchasing an additional 6,867 shares in the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:STZ opened at $184.32 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $217.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $234.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $176.51 and a 1 year high of $274.87. The firm has a market cap of $33.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.91.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.19 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is presently 108.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on STZ shares. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $282.00 to $214.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Argus cut shares of Constellation Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $255.00 target price (down from $300.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, November 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $257.14.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William T. Giles acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the purchase, the director now 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Wildstar Partners Llc sold 660 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.00, for a total value of $159,060.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,736,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $418,589,044. The trade was a 0.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 61,746 shares of company stock worth $15,017,097. Corporate insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

About Constellation Brands

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.