China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys New Position in Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ)

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,978 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $547,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of STZ. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter valued at $1,242,976,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter valued at $445,883,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Constellation Brands by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,534,787 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,433,188,000 after acquiring an additional 1,821,969 shares during the period. D1 Capital Partners L.P. raised its stake in Constellation Brands by 186.6% in the 4th quarter. D1 Capital Partners L.P. now owns 1,527,689 shares of the company's stock valued at $337,619,000 after acquiring an additional 994,639 shares during the period. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC raised its stake in Constellation Brands by 42.9% in the 4th quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 2,454,258 shares of the company's stock valued at $542,391,000 after acquiring an additional 736,780 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company's stock.

Constellation Brands Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of STZ traded up $0.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $172.27. 1,370,929 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,922,487. Constellation Brands Inc has a 52 week low of $159.35 and a 52 week high of $264.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 1.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.67 billion, a PE ratio of -72.08, a PEG ratio of 10.42 and a beta of 0.67. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $175.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $181.71.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 1st. The company reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.45 by ($0.23). Constellation Brands had a positive return on equity of 31.41% and a negative net margin of 4.11%. The company had revenue of $2.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.57 earnings per share. Constellation Brands's revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Constellation Brands Inc will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.02 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 30th. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. Constellation Brands's dividend payout ratio is currently -170.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Samuel J. Glaetzer sold 3,150 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.54, for a total transaction of $593,901.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,126 shares of the company's stock, valued at $589,376.04. This trade represents a 50.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 12.45% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STZ has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price target on Constellation Brands from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Constellation Brands from $170.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised Constellation Brands from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on Constellation Brands from $272.00 to $241.00 in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Constellation Brands from $170.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $213.74.

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.