Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Boosts Stock Position in Constellation Brands Inc $STZ

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its stake in Constellation Brands by 50.0%, adding 29,832 shares to hold 89,526 shares worth about $12.35 million (≈0.05% of the company).
• Analysts have been raising targets and ratings recently, including TD Cowen upgrading to a "buy" with a $190 target, leaving Constellation with an average analyst target of $178.14 and a "Moderate Buy" consensus.
• Constellation beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.90 vs. $1.71) and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.03 (annualized $4.12; yield ~2.7%), with an ex-dividend date of April 29 and payment on May 14.

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its stake in Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) by 50.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 89,526 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 29,832 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned approximately 0.05% of Constellation Brands worth $12,351,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Stance Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the third quarter worth about $26,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STZ has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen upgraded Constellation Brands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $142.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Bank of America upped their target price on Constellation Brands from $142.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Barclays upped their target price on Constellation Brands from $151.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Constellation Brands from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Constellation Brands currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.14.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of STZ stock opened at $152.88 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $26.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.43. The business's 50 day moving average is $154.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $147.66. 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 12-month low of $126.45 and a 12-month high of $196.91.

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

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is an increase from Constellation Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. Constellation Brands's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.96%.

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.

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