Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Shares Sold by Private Wealth Partners LLC

Private Wealth Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 12.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,385 shares of the company’s stock after selling 480 shares during the period. Private Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $818,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Darsana Capital Partners LP raised its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 288.9% during the 3rd quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 875,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $219,914,000 after acquiring an additional 650,000 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 24,922.5% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 567,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $137,075,000 after acquiring an additional 564,744 shares in the last quarter. Phoenix Holdings Ltd. raised its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 38.3% during the 3rd quarter. Phoenix Holdings Ltd. now owns 551,447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $138,608,000 after acquiring an additional 152,799 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,640,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 70.0% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 218,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,983,000 after acquiring an additional 89,822 shares in the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 4,013 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.25, for a total value of $1,056,422.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,420,233.75. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 4,013 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.25, for a total transaction of $1,056,422.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,420,233.75. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.63, for a total value of $4,160,345.03. Following the sale, 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. Company insiders own 16.19% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

STZ stock traded down $1.67 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $260.04. 700,014 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,410,273. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $259.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $248.01. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a one year low of $221.81 and a one year high of $274.87. The company has a market cap of $47.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06.

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

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be paid a $1.01 dividend. This is an increase from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on STZ shares. Bank of America upped their price target on Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Argus raised Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $306.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Constellation Brands from $292.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. HSBC increased their target price on Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.55.

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