National Pension Service Buys 27,441 Shares of Constellation Brands Inc $STZ

Key Points

• National Pension Service increased its Constellation Brands stake by 10.3% in the fourth quarter, buying 27,441 more shares and bringing its total holding to 295,008 shares worth about $40.7 million.
• Several other institutional investors also adjusted positions in STZ, and overall institutional ownership remains high at 77.34% of the company’s stock.
• Analysts remain broadly constructive on Constellation Brands, with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $175.26; the company also recently raised its quarterly dividend to $1.03 per share.

National Pension Service lifted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) by 10.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 295,008 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 27,441 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned 0.17% of Constellation Brands worth $40,699,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in STZ. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,001 shares of the company's stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,409,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 69.9% during the 2nd quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 1,026 shares of the company's stock worth $167,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 17,347 shares of the company's stock worth $2,822,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in Constellation Brands by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 23,732 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,861,000 after acquiring an additional 1,127 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $185.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Evercore set a $175.00 price target on Constellation Brands and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Constellation Brands from $155.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, May 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $175.26.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

STZ opened at $138.78 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $23.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.39. Constellation Brands Inc has a 52-week low of $126.45 and a 52-week high of $180.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.08. The business's fifty day moving average is $152.10 and its 200-day moving average is $149.28.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.18% and a net margin of 17.29%.Constellation Brands's quarterly revenue was down 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.63 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Constellation Brands Inc will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th were issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is an increase from Constellation Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 29th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Constellation Brands's payout ratio is currently 42.96%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP James O. Bourdeau sold 4,407 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 32.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 12.45% 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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