Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Invests $944,000 in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 4,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $944,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of STZ. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $1,242,976,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $445,883,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,534,787 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,433,188,000 after acquiring an additional 1,821,969 shares during the last quarter. D1 Capital Partners L.P. increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 186.6% during the fourth quarter. D1 Capital Partners L.P. now owns 1,527,689 shares of the company's stock valued at $337,619,000 after acquiring an additional 994,639 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 1,844.7% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 924,274 shares of the company's stock valued at $204,265,000 after acquiring an additional 876,745 shares during the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 value of $593,901.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 12.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE STZ traded down $1.61 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $178.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,033,821 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,772,571. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $184.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $195.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.46. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $160.46 and a 1 year high of $265.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.88, 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 results 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. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The company had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.26 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 29th were paid a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 29th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.29%. This is an increase from Constellation Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Constellation Brands's payout ratio is currently -800.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on STZ. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $202.00 to $195.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $260.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $289.00 to $233.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Constellation Brands presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $225.74.

Constellation Brands 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.