Aurdan Capital Management LLC Purchases Shares of 9,390 Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Aurdan Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 9,390 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,075,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in STZ. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 138,024 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,504,000 after buying an additional 2,927 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 184.5% in the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 4,544 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,004,000 after buying an additional 2,947 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 23.0% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,001 shares of the company's stock valued at $221,000 after buying an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 359.3% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 5,512 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,218,000 after buying an additional 4,312 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 55,988 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,373,000 after buying an additional 7,219 shares in the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on STZ shares. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $260.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $230.00 to $210.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $203.00 to $194.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $202.00 to $195.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $203.00 to $207.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $225.74.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

STZ traded down $1.74 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $177.98. The company had a trading volume of 946,510 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,763,209. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market cap of $31.68 billion, a PE ratio of 47.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $160.46 and a 12-month high of $265.70. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $184.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $196.38.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.14 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.26 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th were paid a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 29th. This is a boost from Constellation Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. Constellation Brands's dividend payout ratio is currently -800.00%.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In related news, EVP Samuel J. Glaetzer sold 3,150 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.54, for a total transaction of $593,901.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 3,126 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $589,376.04. This trade represents a 50.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 12.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.