Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Sells 4,885 Shares of Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ)

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich reduced its stake in shares of Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) by 69.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,175 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,885 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich's holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $399,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 805.0% in the first quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 181 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

STZ stock traded down $2.18 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $173.34. 331,343 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,482,297. Constellation Brands Inc has a 52-week low of $159.35 and a 52-week high of $261.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $30.56 billion, a P/E ratio of -72.61, a P/E/G ratio of 10.62 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $171.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $177.63.

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

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be paid a $1.02 dividend. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 30th. Constellation Brands's dividend payout ratio is currently -170.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on STZ shares. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $170.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Constellation Brands to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Bernstein Bank reduced their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $260.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Constellation Brands from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Constellation Brands from $170.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Constellation Brands presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $213.74.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP James O. Bourdeau sold 821 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.00, for a total transaction of $138,749.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,438 shares in the company, valued at $1,595,022. This represents a 8.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Samuel J. Glaetzer sold 3,150 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.54, for a total value of $593,901.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,126 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $589,376.04. This represents a 50.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 12.45% of the company's stock.

Constellation Brands 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.