Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) Upgraded to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Thursday.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $203.00 price target (down previously from $262.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Roth Capital decreased their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. TD Cowen cut their price target on Constellation Brands from $270.00 to $260.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler lowered Constellation Brands from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $245.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Constellation Brands from $282.00 to $214.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $254.29.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:STZ opened at $163.25 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $29.50 billion, a PE ratio of 43.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.75. Constellation Brands has a fifty-two week low of $160.46 and a fifty-two week high of $274.87. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $204.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $229.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its 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). Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The company had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.19 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is 108.60%.

Insider Activity

In other Constellation Brands news, major shareholder Wildstar Partners Llc sold 660 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $418,589,044. This represents a 0.04 % 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, Director William T. Giles bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $186.39 per share, for a total transaction of $186,390.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $272,688.57. This represents a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 12.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Constellation Brands

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new position in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. 77.34% of the stock is 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 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.