D.A. Davidson & CO. Purchases 189 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 47,635 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $11,516,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in STZ. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Asset Dedication LLC grew its position in Constellation Brands by 3,833.3% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 118 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Constellation Brands in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 77.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In other news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.54, for a total transaction of $6,538,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 14,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,844,638. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Constellation Brands news, EVP Michael Mcgrew sold 3,237 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.50, for a total value of $827,053.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $442,270.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO William A. Newlands sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.54, for a total transaction of $6,538,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 14,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,844,638. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 48,031 shares of company stock worth $12,582,321 over the last quarter. 16.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 0.2 %

Constellation Brands stock traded down $0.57 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $249.99. The company had a trading volume of 182,763 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,184,205. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $227.50 and a 12 month high of $274.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $262.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $250.68. The company has a market capitalization of $45.74 billion, a PE ratio of 26.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.95.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.16. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 23.06%. The business had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.98 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd were issued a $1.01 dividend. This is a positive change from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STZ has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target 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. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Argus upgraded Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $306.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, April 15th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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 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.