Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Acquires Shares of 52,349 Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ purchased a new position in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 52,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,569,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Audent Global Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Constellation Brands by 165.5% during the 4th quarter. Audent Global Asset Management LLC now owns 3,427 shares of the company's stock worth $757,000 after purchasing an additional 2,136 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $22,028,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $944,000. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its holdings in Constellation Brands by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 21,652 shares of the company's stock worth $4,785,000 after purchasing an additional 907 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX bought a new position in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,869,000. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $289.00 to $233.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $203.00 to $194.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $260.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $202.00 to $195.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $225.74.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Constellation Brands news, EVP Samuel J. Glaetzer sold 3,150 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.54, for a total transaction of $593,901.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 3,126 shares of the company's stock, valued at $589,376.04. This represents a 50.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 12.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 0.9%

STZ traded down $1.61 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $178.10. 3,033,821 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,772,571. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.71 billion, a PE ratio of 47.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $184.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $195.97. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $160.46 and a 1 year high of $265.70.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.26 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

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

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.