Constellation Brands’ (STZ) Hold Rating Reiterated at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group reissued their hold rating on shares of Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) in a report published on Monday morning, MarketBeat reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a $201.00 target price on the stock, down from their prior target price of $310.00.

STZ has been the subject of several other reports. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $298.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $280.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Constellation Brands from $310.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $308.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $282.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $261.40.

Constellation Brands Trading Down 0.8 %

Constellation Brands stock opened at $180.82 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $32.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.52, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.75. Constellation Brands has a fifty-two week low of $176.51 and a fifty-two week high of $274.87. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $229.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $240.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.25.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last released its quarterly 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). Constellation Brands had a net margin of 5.29% and a return on equity of 25.34%. The business had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.19 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Constellation Brands will post 13.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 108.60%.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In other Constellation Brands news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 36,086 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,898,045.58. This trade represents a 69.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO William A. Newlands sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.58, for a total value of $6,089,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 7,274 shares in the company, valued at $1,771,800.92. The trade was a 77.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 69,172 shares of company stock worth $16,778,841. Corporate insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Constellation Brands

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 23,184.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 499,689 shares of the company’s stock valued at $128,765,000 after buying an additional 497,543 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,144,428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,841,048,000 after acquiring an additional 402,211 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Constellation Brands by 31.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,002,332 shares of the company’s stock worth $257,865,000 after purchasing an additional 241,982 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 66.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 369,966 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,762,000 after purchasing an additional 147,457 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NFJ Investment Group LLC grew its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 617.3% during the third quarter. NFJ Investment Group LLC now owns 108,382 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,929,000 after purchasing an additional 93,273 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.34% 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.