Insider Selling: Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) CEO Sells 4,013 Shares of Stock

Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) CEO William A. Newlands sold 4,013 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.25, for a total transaction of $1,056,422.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,420,233.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Constellation Brands Trading Up 0.0 %

STZ opened at $261.65 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.81 and a 12 month high of $274.87. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $259.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $247.77.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 EPS 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 return on equity of 23.06% and a net margin of 16.13%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.98 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Constellation Brands

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in STZ. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 13.1% during the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 431 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in Constellation Brands by 7.6% during the first quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 55,689 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,134,000 after acquiring an additional 3,953 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 4.0% during the first quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 16,469 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,307,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 0.6% in the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 11,236 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,053,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 11.2% during the 1st quarter. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC now owns 22,117 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,011,000 after purchasing an additional 2,230 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on STZ. Argus upgraded shares of Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $306.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, April 15th. HSBC raised their price target on Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. Barclays increased their target price on Constellation Brands from $294.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Constellation Brands has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.55.

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.