ST Germain D J Co. Inc. Decreases Position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

ST Germain D J Co. Inc. reduced its position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,528 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,054 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $3,653,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Constellation Brands by 887.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Constellation Brands during the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC boosted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 50.0% in the second quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands in the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:STZ traded down $31.43 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $187.85. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,028,981 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,904,478. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $232.90 and a 200 day moving average of $242.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.11 billion, a PE ratio of 60.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.75. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.50 and a twelve month high of $274.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced 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). The business had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 5.29% and a return on equity of 25.34%. Constellation Brands’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.19 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.57 EPS 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. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.15%. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is 130.74%.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In other news, major shareholder Wildstar Partners Llc sold 660 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.00, for a total value of $159,060.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,736,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $418,589,044. This trade represents a 0.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Samuel J. Glaetzer sold 1,510 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.57, for a total value of $370,810.70. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,970 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,220,482.90. This represents a 23.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 189,956 shares of company stock worth $46,058,091 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on STZ shares. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective 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 issued a $308.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $293.00 to $262.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. 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 report on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $255.00 price objective (down previously from $300.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Constellation Brands presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $284.75.

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.