Constellation Brands Inc $STZ Shares Purchased by Stephens Inc. AR

Key Points

• Stephens Inc. AR increased its stake in Constellation Brands by 31.5% in the fourth quarter, buying 15,280 more shares and bringing its total to 63,712 shares worth about $8.83 million.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with hedge funds and other large investors controlling about 77.34% of Constellation Brands stock, while several major firms also boosted their positions recently.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.90 per share and recently raised its dividend to $1.03 per share, giving it an annualized yield of about 2.9%.

Stephens Inc. AR grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) by 31.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 63,712 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,280 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $8,831,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,202,611 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,451,346,000 after purchasing an additional 573,766 shares during the period. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 0.7% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,337,054 shares of the company's stock valued at $584,135,000 after purchasing an additional 28,036 shares during the period. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.0% during the third quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 3,710,940 shares of the company's stock valued at $499,752,000 after purchasing an additional 35,085 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 76.7% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,126,644 shares of the company's stock valued at $421,059,000 after purchasing an additional 1,356,903 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 15.5% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,160,202 shares of the company's stock valued at $290,915,000 after purchasing an additional 290,701 shares during the period. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Constellation Brands news, EVP James O. Bourdeau sold 4,407 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total transaction of $631,258.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,109 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,304,773.16. This trade represents a 32.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 12.45% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. TD Cowen raised Constellation Brands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $142.00 to $190.00 in a report on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, May 4th. Barclays raised their price target on Constellation Brands from $151.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Constellation Brands from $155.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Constellation Brands from $176.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $176.30.

Constellation Brands Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE:STZ opened at $142.55 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Constellation Brands Inc has a 1-year low of $126.45 and a 1-year high of $196.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $152.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $148.03.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 8th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.19. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.18% and a net margin of 17.29%.The firm had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.63 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Constellation Brands Inc will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th were given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 29th. This is a boost from Constellation Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Constellation Brands's dividend payout ratio is 42.96%.

Constellation Brands Company Profile

Constellation Brands, Inc is a leading producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits, with operations spanning production, importation, marketing and distribution. The company's beverage portfolio includes a range of premium and mainstream wines and spirits alongside major imported beer brands; in the U.S. market Constellation is widely known for its role in bringing Mexican imports such as Corona and Modelo to American consumers. Constellation supplies retail, on‑premise and foodservice channels and supports its brands with national sales and marketing platforms and supply‑chain capabilities.

The company traces its roots to the Canandaigua Wine Company, founded by Marvin Sands in 1945, and evolved through organic growth and acquisition into a diversified beverage company.

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