GAMMA Investing LLC Takes Position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,080 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $755,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC now owns 2,499 shares of the company’s stock worth $604,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 1,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Schear Investment Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Schear Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,522 shares of the company’s stock worth $610,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. RDA Financial Network boosted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. RDA Financial Network now owns 2,114 shares of the company’s stock worth $531,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lincoln National Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 2,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $645,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $294.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Constellation Brands presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.55.

Insider Buying and Selling at Constellation Brands

In other news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Constellation Brands news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 4,013 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.25, for a total value of $1,056,422.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,420,233.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.63, for a total transaction of $4,160,345.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,512,503.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 16.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Constellation Brands Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of STZ stock traded up $1.90 on Tuesday, reaching $261.64. 1,049,820 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,269,283. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $258.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $247.40. The company has a market capitalization of $47.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.88, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.97. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a twelve month low of $221.81 and a twelve month high of $274.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.16. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 23.06%. The company had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.98 earnings per share. Constellation Brands’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be paid a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. This is an increase from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.95%.

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