Czech National Bank Increases Stake in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Czech National Bank increased its stake in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) by 5.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 35,694 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,843 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank's holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $6,551,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 77.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Constellation Brands from $260.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Barclays upped their price target on Constellation Brands from $203.00 to $207.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Roth Mkm decreased their price objective on Constellation Brands from $284.00 to $256.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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 report on Friday, April 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $225.74.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

NYSE STZ traded up $0.31 on Wednesday, hitting $176.98. The stock had a trading volume of 1,226,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,778,482. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $184.56 and a 200-day moving average of $194.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.10. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $160.46 and a 52-week high of $265.70. The company has a market capitalization of $31.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 9th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 6.27%. The firm's revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.26 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th were issued a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 29th. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. This is a boost from Constellation Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Constellation Brands's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -800.00%.

Insider Activity

In other Constellation Brands news, EVP Samuel J. Glaetzer sold 3,150 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 3,126 shares in the company, valued at $589,376.04. The trade was a 50.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 12.19% of the company's stock.

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.