Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) EVP James A. Jr. Sabia Sells 36,086 Shares

Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 36,086 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.99, for a total transaction of $8,768,537.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,042 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,898,045.58. This represents a 69.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

NYSE:STZ opened at $237.51 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $244.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $248.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market cap of $43.12 billion, a PE ratio of 76.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.75. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 1-year low of $224.76 and a 1-year high of $274.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 3rd. The company reported $4.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.08 by $0.24. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 5.29% and a return on equity of 25.34%. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.70 earnings per share. Constellation Brands’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.57 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 5th will be given a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 5th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 130.74%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Constellation Brands

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Constellation Brands during the second quarter worth approximately $119,394,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.5% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,705,793 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,724,686,000 after acquiring an additional 462,891 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Sarl increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 35.9% in the first quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 10,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,843,000 after acquiring an additional 2,764 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.1% in the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 503,058 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,711,000 after acquiring an additional 5,302 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 14.3% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 58,814 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,986,000 after acquiring an additional 7,343 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $320.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 9th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $310.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $255.00 price target (down previously from $300.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, October 7th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $309.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $298.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Friday, October 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $290.47.

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.