Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC Cuts Position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lowered its holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 6,351 shares of the company’s stock after selling 60 shares during the quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $1,535,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC now owns 2,499 shares of the company’s stock valued at $604,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. grew its position in Constellation Brands by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 1,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Schear Investment Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Schear Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $610,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. RDA Financial Network lifted its position 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 valued at $531,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Lincoln National Corp boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of STZ stock traded down $0.80 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $260.86. 343,235 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,257,104. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $221.81 and a 1 year high of $274.87. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $258.78 and a 200 day moving average of $247.57. The firm has a market cap of $47.69 billion, a PE ratio of 27.89, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced 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 company had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 23.06%. Constellation Brands’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.98 EPS. Analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.55%. This is an increase from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.95%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,512,503.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,512,503.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO William A. Newlands sold 4,013 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,420,233.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 16.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Argus raised Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $306.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Barclays raised their price target on Constellation Brands from $294.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, TheStreet cut shares of Constellation Brands from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Constellation Brands presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.55.

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