Empowered Funds LLC Increases Stake in Constellation Brands Inc $STZ

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC increased its Constellation Brands stake by 434% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 31,853 shares valued at approximately $4.78 million. Institutional investors collectively own 77.34% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with 11 Buy, nine Hold and two Sell ratings; the consensus rating is Hold with a target price of $167.53, above the stock’s recent price of $130.30.
• Constellation Brands reported quarterly revenue of $2.43 billion, ahead of estimates, but adjusted earnings of $3.43 per share missed expectations and revenue fell 3.3% year over year. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.03 per share, representing a 3.2% annualized yield.

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) by 434.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 31,853 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 25,888 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $4,778,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Choreo LLC lifted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 3,116 shares of the company's stock valued at $437,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. grew its position in Constellation Brands by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 701 shares of the company's stock worth $97,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC increased its stake in Constellation Brands by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 548 shares of the company's stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Constellation Brands by 24.9% in the 4th quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 346 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Constellation Brands by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,795 shares of the company's stock worth $1,619,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $147.00 price objective on Constellation Brands in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $139.00 to $132.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $186.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Evercore set a $175.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $167.53.

Constellation Brands Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:STZ opened at $130.30 on Monday. Constellation Brands Inc has a one year low of $126.45 and a one year high of $174.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $137.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $148.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.43, a PEG ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.40.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.70 by ($0.27). Constellation Brands had a net margin of 18.87% and a return on equity of 25.58%. The business had revenue of $2.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.39 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.22 EPS. Constellation Brands's revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Constellation Brands has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.200-11.900 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Constellation Brands Inc will post 11.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 30th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Constellation Brands's payout ratio is presently 39.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Constellation Brands news, EVP James O. Bourdeau sold 4,407 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total value of $631,258.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,109 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,304,773.16. The trade was a 32.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 12.20% of the company's stock.

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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