Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Shares Acquired by Tufton Capital Management

Tufton Capital Management raised its position in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,783 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the quarter. Tufton Capital Management’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $431,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 17.2% during the third quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 17,218 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,327,000 after acquiring an additional 2,526 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 15.3% in the third quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 32,433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,151,000 after purchasing an additional 4,311 shares in the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 46.0% in the fourth quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,012 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,453,000 after purchasing an additional 1,893 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 35.8% in the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 2,002 shares of the company’s stock valued at $484,000 after purchasing an additional 528 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ascent Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $962,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

STZ traded up $1.58 during trading on Thursday, reaching $258.89. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 348,987 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,262,932. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.81 and a 52-week high of $274.87. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $257.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $247.13. The company has a market capitalization of $47.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.98 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. This is an increase from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.95%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.63, for a total transaction of $4,160,345.03. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,512,503.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 16.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on STZ shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Barclays raised their price target on Constellation Brands from $294.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.55.

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