Trust Co. of Vermont Trims Holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Trust Co. of Vermont reduced its stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 27.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,546 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,809 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $3,436,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in STZ. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted 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 valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Constellation Brands in the third quarter worth approximately $42,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in Constellation Brands during the 3rd quarter worth $60,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 68.0% in the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In related news, major shareholder Wildstar Partners Llc sold 660 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.00, for a total value 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 trade represents a 0.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 36,086 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.99, for a total transaction of $8,768,537.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,898,045.58. This represents a 69.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 69,172 shares of company stock valued at $16,778,841 in the last ninety days. 12.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of STZ stock traded down $0.52 on Friday, hitting $184.05. The company had a trading volume of 2,839,837 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,501,511. The firm has a market cap of $33.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.91. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a twelve month low of $176.51 and a twelve month high of $274.87. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $227.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $239.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last released 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 company had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 25.34% and a net margin of 5.29%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.19 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.72 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 108.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STZ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $280.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Constellation Brands from $255.00 to $190.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Argus downgraded shares of Constellation Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $282.00 to $214.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Constellation Brands presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.05.

Constellation Brands 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.