Trust Co. of Vermont Sells 5,809 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Trust Co. of Vermont decreased its position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 27.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,546 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,809 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $3,436,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Paloma Partners Management Co grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 568.4% during the third quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 30,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,731,000 after buying an additional 25,512 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Constellation Brands by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 84,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,699,000 after purchasing an additional 2,980 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 318.8% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 29.5% during the third 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. Finally, Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the third quarter valued at $2,132,000. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

STZ traded down $0.52 during trading on Friday, hitting $184.05. 2,839,837 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,501,511. The company has a market cap of $33.42 billion, a PE ratio of 49.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.91. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $176.51 and a 1 year high of $274.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $227.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $239.46.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.08). Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 25.34% and a net margin of 5.29%. The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.19 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is 108.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Constellation Brands

In other Constellation Brands news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 7,426 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.24, for a total transaction of $1,761,744.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 7,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,725,683.76. The trade was a 50.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Wildstar Partners Llc sold 660 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.00, for a total transaction of $159,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,736,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $418,589,044. This represents a 0.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 69,172 shares of company stock worth $16,778,841 over the last 90 days. 12.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on STZ shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $280.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $245.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $280.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Constellation Brands from $255.00 to $190.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Roth Capital reduced their price objective on Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.05.

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.