Graham Capital Management L.P. Purchases New Position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Graham Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 2,966 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $655,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 485.1% in the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 112,516 shares of the company's stock worth $24,866,000 after purchasing an additional 93,285 shares in the last quarter. Ethic Inc. boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 30,648 shares of the company's stock worth $6,773,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 17,426 shares of the company's stock worth $3,851,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 130.2% in the 4th quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 43,576 shares of the company's stock worth $9,630,000 after purchasing an additional 24,647 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 807,122 shares of the company's stock worth $178,374,000 after purchasing an additional 60,008 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company's stock.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:STZ opened at $186.51 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $183.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $200.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a market capitalization of $33.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.14, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $160.46 and a 12-month high of $265.70.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 6.27%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.26 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th will be given a $1.02 dividend. This is an increase from Constellation Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 29th. Constellation Brands's payout ratio is currently -800.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on STZ shares. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Roth Mkm decreased their target price on Constellation Brands from $284.00 to $256.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Citigroup decreased their target price on Constellation Brands from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Roth Capital decreased their target price on Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Constellation Brands from $260.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Constellation Brands presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $225.74.

Insider Buying and Selling at Constellation Brands

In other Constellation Brands news, EVP Samuel J. Glaetzer sold 3,150 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was 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 directly owns 3,126 shares of the company's stock, valued at $589,376.04. The trade was a 50.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 12.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Constellation Brands

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.

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