Constellation Brands Inc $STZ Shares Sold by Gibraltar Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Gibraltar Capital Management trimmed its stake in Constellation Brands by 23.5% in Q4, selling 11,091 shares and leaving it with 36,005 shares worth about $4.97 million.
• Constellation reported a quarterly EPS beat ($1.90 vs. $1.71) with revenue of $1.92 billion (down 11.3% YoY) and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.03 (annualized $4.12, ~2.7% yield).
• Analysts have largely lifted price targets and the stock carries a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a consensus target of $178.14, while shares trade around $152.88 (market cap ~$26.3B, P/E ~15.9).

Gibraltar Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) by 23.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,005 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,091 shares during the quarter. Gibraltar Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $4,967,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of STZ. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 23.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,001 shares of the company's stock valued at $221,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 1st quarter valued at about $2,409,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 69.9% in the 2nd quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 1,026 shares of the company's stock valued at $167,000 after acquiring an additional 422 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 17,347 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,822,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 23,732 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,861,000 after acquiring an additional 1,127 shares during the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

STZ stock opened at $152.88 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Constellation Brands Inc has a one year low of $126.45 and a one year high of $196.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.33 billion, a PE ratio of 15.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.43. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $154.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $147.66.

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

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be given a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is a positive change from Constellation Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 29th. Constellation Brands's payout ratio is currently 42.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $151.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $142.00 to $154.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $176.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $178.14.

Constellation Brands 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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