Schear Investment Advisers LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Schear Investment Advisers LLC lifted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,522 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Schear Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $610,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 1,175.0% during the 3rd quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 102 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Asset Dedication LLC grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 3,833.3% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 118 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

NYSE:STZ traded up $4.24 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $262.92. 748,548 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,266,705. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $257.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $247.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 23.06% and a net margin of 16.13%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.98 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. TheStreet lowered Constellation Brands from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. HSBC lifted 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. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Constellation Brands from $294.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.55.

Insider Buying and Selling at Constellation Brands

In other Constellation Brands news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction on Friday, April 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.63, for a total transaction of $4,160,345.03. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,512,503.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 16.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.