Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 130 Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in Constellation Brands by 1,844.7% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 924,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,265,000 after acquiring an additional 876,745 shares in the last quarter. Copperleaf Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at about $343,000. Grimes & Company Inc. acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth about $6,099,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Constellation Brands by 62.8% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,663,000 after buying an additional 6,391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Southern Style Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,074,000. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

NYSE STZ opened at $188.29 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.52 billion, a PE ratio of 50.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $160.46 and a 12-month high of $265.70. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $183.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $200.15. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 9th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.35. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 6.27%. The business had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.26 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th will be paid a $1.02 dividend. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. This is a boost from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 29th. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is presently -800.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STZ has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $230.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Constellation Brands from $260.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Constellation Brands from $203.00 to $194.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $289.00 to $233.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $260.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Constellation Brands currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $225.74.

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 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.