10,952 Shares in Constellation Brands Inc $STZ Acquired by Entropy Technologies LP

Key Points

• Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter, acquiring 10,952 shares worth about $1.51 million.
• Other institutional investors also adjusted their STZ holdings, and hedge funds/institutions now own about 77.34% of the company’s stock.
• Constellation Brands recently raised its quarterly dividend to $1.03 per share and reported earnings that beat analyst estimates, even as revenue declined year over year.

Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 10,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,511,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in STZ. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 23.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,001 shares of the company's stock worth $221,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the first quarter valued at $2,409,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 69.9% in the second quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 1,026 shares of the company's stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.6% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 17,347 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,822,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 5.0% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 23,732 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,861,000 after purchasing an additional 1,127 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.34% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STZ has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $176.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $151.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Constellation Brands has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $175.26.

Insider Buying and Selling at Constellation Brands

In other Constellation Brands news, EVP James O. Bourdeau sold 4,407 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total transaction of $631,258.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,109 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,304,773.16. This represents a 32.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 12.20% of the company's stock.

Constellation Brands Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE STZ opened at $148.06 on Tuesday. Constellation Brands Inc has a 12 month low of $126.45 and a 12 month high of $178.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company has a market capitalization of $25.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.39. The company's fifty day moving average price is $149.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $150.05.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 8th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 26.18%. The firm's revenue was down 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.63 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Constellation Brands Inc will post 11.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th were issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is a positive change from Constellation Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 29th. Constellation Brands's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.96%.

Constellation Brands Company Profile

Constellation Brands, Inc is a leading producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits, with operations spanning production, importation, marketing and distribution. The company's beverage portfolio includes a range of premium and mainstream wines and spirits alongside major imported beer brands; in the U.S. market Constellation is widely known for its role in bringing Mexican imports such as Corona and Modelo to American consumers. Constellation supplies retail, on‑premise and foodservice channels and supports its brands with national sales and marketing platforms and supply‑chain capabilities.

The company traces its roots to the Canandaigua Wine Company, founded by Marvin Sands in 1945, and evolved through organic growth and acquisition into a diversified beverage company.

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