Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-two research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $215.87.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on STZ shares. Roth Capital lowered their price objective on Constellation Brands from $256.00 to $239.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $260.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Constellation Brands from $260.00 to $215.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Constellation Brands from $203.00 to $194.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In related news, EVP Samuel J. Glaetzer sold 3,150 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.54, for a total transaction of $593,901.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 3,126 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $589,376.04. The trade was a 50.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 12.45% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Constellation Brands

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in STZ. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Constellation Brands by 23.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,001 shares of the company's stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 39.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 6,096 shares of the company's stock worth $1,347,000 after buying an additional 1,733 shares in the last quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 18.2% in the fourth quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC now owns 1,441 shares of the company's stock valued at $319,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Brown Financial Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. Brown Financial Advisors now owns 1,935 shares of the company's stock valued at $428,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the period. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE STZ opened at $164.38 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The business's 50 day moving average is $180.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $187.27. Constellation Brands has a 52-week low of $159.35 and a 52-week high of $265.69. The firm has a market cap of $29.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -322.32, a PEG ratio of 9.01 and a beta of 0.70.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 9th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. Constellation Brands had a positive return on equity of 29.56% and a negative net margin of 0.74%. Constellation Brands's revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.26 EPS. Research analysts predict that Constellation Brands will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th were given a dividend of $1.02 per share. This is a boost from Constellation Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 29th. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. Constellation Brands's payout ratio is presently -800.00%.

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.

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