Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Receives $259.05 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $257.14.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on STZ. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $201.00 target price (down from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $203.00 price target (down previously from $262.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, January 13th. StockNews.com cut shares of Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Argus lowered shares of Constellation Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 36,086 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.99, for a total value of $8,768,537.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,898,045.58. This trade represents a 69.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO William A. Newlands sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.58, for a total transaction of $6,089,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 7,274 shares in the company, valued at $1,771,800.92. This represents a 77.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 61,746 shares of company stock worth $15,017,097. 12.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Constellation Brands

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in STZ. Liberty Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Liberty Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,663 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,009,000 after buying an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP boosted its stake in Constellation Brands by 339.6% during the fourth quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 27,857 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,156,000 after acquiring an additional 21,520 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Constellation Brands by 62.8% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,575 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,663,000 after purchasing an additional 6,391 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,211,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Platform Technology Partners boosted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Platform Technology Partners now owns 6,061 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,340,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

NYSE STZ opened at $183.16 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $33.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.91. The company’s 50 day moving average is $220.02 and its 200-day moving average is $235.70. Constellation Brands has a 12-month low of $176.51 and a 12-month high of $274.87. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 6.27%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.19 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Constellation Brands will post 13.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.01 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is presently 108.60%.

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.