GHP Investment Advisors Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 31,807 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,827 shares during the quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $7,029,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 887.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands in the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Constellation Brands during the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the third quarter worth approximately $60,000. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Trading Up 0.1 %

Constellation Brands stock opened at $172.79 on Thursday. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $166.02 and a 12 month high of $274.87. The company has a market capitalization of $31.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.90. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $211.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $232.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.19 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is currently 108.60%.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In related news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 36,086 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.99, for a total value of $8,768,537.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,042 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,898,045.58. This trade represents a 69.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Wildstar Partners Llc sold 660 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.00, for a total transaction of $159,060.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,736,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $418,589,044. This represents a 0.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 61,746 shares of company stock valued at $15,017,097. 12.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $293.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $280.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Roth Capital decreased their price target on Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $254.29.

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 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.