Dillon & Associates Inc. Sells 1,792 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Dillon & Associates Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 40,872 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,792 shares during the period. Constellation Brands accounts for 1.3% of Dillon & Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Dillon & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $9,033,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in STZ. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 1,844.7% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 924,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,265,000 after buying an additional 876,745 shares during the last quarter. Copperleaf Capital LLC bought a new position in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth approximately $343,000. Grimes & Company Inc. purchased a new position in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at $6,099,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 62.8% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,663,000 after acquiring an additional 6,391 shares during the period. Finally, Southern Style Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth $3,074,000. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

STZ stock opened at $177.73 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $32.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.78, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.90. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $160.46 and a 1 year high of $274.87. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $177.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $216.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 6.27%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.19 earnings per share. 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is 108.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on STZ shares. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, November 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $255.00 to $190.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Roth Capital dropped their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $201.00 price target (down previously from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, January 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $250.41.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In related news, Director William T. Giles acquired 1,000 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $186.39 per share, for a total transaction of $186,390.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $272,688.57. This trade represents a 215.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

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.