Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Trims Position in Constellation Brands Inc $STZ

Key Points

• Massachusetts Financial Services Co. trimmed its stake in Constellation Brands by 15%, selling 70,603 shares to hold 401,035 shares (about 0.23% of the company) valued at ~$55.33 million, while institutional and hedge fund ownership totals roughly 77.34%.
• Constellation beat Q1 EPS estimates ($1.90 vs. $1.71) despite revenue declining 11.3% YoY to $1.92 billion, raised its quarterly dividend to $1.03 (2.5% yield), and has seen bullish analyst moves including TD Cowen's upgrade to Buy with a $190 target amid a consensus "Moderate Buy" (avg. target $178.14).

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA decreased its position in shares of Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) by 15.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 401,035 shares of the company's stock after selling 70,603 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 0.23% of Constellation Brands worth $55,327,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of STZ. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 650.6% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,769,741 shares of the company's stock valued at $287,889,000 after buying an additional 1,533,961 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 573,766 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 1,249.7% during the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 476,702 shares of the company's stock valued at $77,550,000 after buying an additional 441,382 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 26.8% during the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 1,664,151 shares of the company's stock valued at $224,111,000 after buying an additional 351,241 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 290,701 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company's stock.

Constellation Brands News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Constellation Brands this week:

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen upgraded STZ to Buy (from Hold) and raised its price target to $190, calling the company's beer guidance overly conservative and citing multiple tailwinds that support upside. TD Cowen upgrade article
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results and the earnings transcript showed an EPS beat and management emphasized market-share gains and outperformance in the Beer business despite macro pressure — a constructive operational message for investors. Earnings transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple broker moves have lifted sentiment: recent price-target increases (including a noted raise to $185) and at least one reiterated Outperform add analyst support to the stock. Price target raised to $185
• Positive Sentiment: Independent analyst coverage (CantechLetter) called Constellation a “Top Pick,” reinforcing the bullish analyst tone that’s driving investor interest. CantechLetter Top Pick
• Neutral Sentiment: Context pieces unpacking Q1 results place Constellation alongside other consumer staples, useful for sector comparison but not adding a clear directional catalyst. Unpacking Q1 earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Counterpoint coverage warns STZ still faces a sector “hangover” with softer demand trends in beverage alcohol that could pressure near-term sales and margin recovery. Sector hangover article

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on STZ shares. TD Cowen raised shares of Constellation Brands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $142.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Monday. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Constellation Brands from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $195.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Friday, January 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.14.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Constellation Brands stock opened at $164.69 on Wednesday. Constellation Brands Inc has a 52-week low of $126.45 and a 52-week high of $196.91. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $155.00 and a 200-day moving average of $146.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.17, a PEG ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 0.44. 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 (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 8th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.19. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 26.18%. The company had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.63 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Constellation Brands Inc will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 29th. This is an increase from Constellation Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Constellation Brands's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.54%.

About Constellation Brands

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.