Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Shares Sold by Whittier Trust Co.

Whittier Trust Co. lowered its position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,700 shares of the company’s stock after selling 220 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $10,542,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,357 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,626,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. BSW Wealth Partners grew its holdings in Constellation Brands by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,563 shares of the company’s stock worth $345,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC now owns 923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Oak Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Constellation Brands by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Oak Asset Management LLC now owns 17,611 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,892,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hartford Funds Management Co LLC raised its stake in Constellation Brands by 4.2% during the third quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC now owns 1,797 shares of the company’s stock worth $463,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on STZ shares. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Citigroup lowered Constellation Brands from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $293.00 to $289.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $203.00 target price (down previously from $262.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, January 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $250.41.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Constellation Brands stock opened at $178.96 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.10. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52 week low of $160.46 and a 52 week high of $274.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $177.40 and a 200-day moving average of $217.72.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.08). Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 6.27%. The company had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.19 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is currently 108.60%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William T. Giles acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $272,688.57. This trade represents a 215.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 12.19% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.