Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) EVP Sells $4,160,345.03 in Stock

Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.63, for a total value of $4,160,345.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,910 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,512,503.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

STZ traded down $0.47 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $257.31. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,530,438 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,275,867. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $257.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $247.05. The firm has a market cap of $47.04 billion, a PE ratio of 27.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.97. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a one year low of $221.81 and a one year high of $274.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.16. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 23.06% and a net margin of 16.13%. The company had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.09 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.98 EPS. Constellation Brands's revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. This is a positive change from Constellation Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. Constellation Brands's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.95%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Constellation Brands

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 1,175.0% during the 3rd quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 102 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 3,833.3% in the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 118 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN purchased a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on STZ shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $292.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Argus upgraded Constellation Brands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $306.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday. UBS Group raised their price objective on Constellation Brands from $312.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Constellation Brands from $309.00 to $301.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $298.55.

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 Premier, Corona Familiar, Corona Light, Corona Refresca, Corona Hard Seltzer, Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, Modelo Chelada, Victoria, Vicky Chamoy, and Pacifico brands.