Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ) Shares Sold by Schear Investment Advisers LLC

Schear Investment Advisers LLC lessened its stake in shares of Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) by 41.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,175 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,557 shares during the period. Schear Investment Advisers LLC's holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,534,787 shares of the company's stock worth $3,433,188,000 after purchasing an additional 1,821,969 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,755,602 shares of the company's stock worth $2,155,946,000 after purchasing an additional 324,690 shares in the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter worth $1,242,976,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,204,003 shares of the company's stock worth $705,844,000 after purchasing an additional 63,323 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,901,975 shares of the company's stock worth $641,336,000 after purchasing an additional 18,557 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

STZ has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Constellation Brands from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. Raymond James Financial raised Constellation Brands to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Roth Capital cut their price objective on Constellation Brands from $256.00 to $239.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Barclays set a $202.00 price objective on Constellation Brands and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Constellation Brands from $191.00 to $185.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $213.74.

Constellation Brands Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE STZ traded up $2.18 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $168.17. 1,941,672 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,935,819. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $174.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $180.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. Constellation Brands Inc has a 52 week low of $159.35 and a 52 week high of $261.06. The stock has a market cap of $29.65 billion, a PE ratio of -70.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.05 and a beta of 0.67.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 1st. The company reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.45 by ($0.23). The business had revenue of $2.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.57 EPS. Analysts forecast that Constellation Brands Inc will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 30th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. Constellation Brands's dividend payout ratio is currently -170.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.