Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC Has $5.74 Million Stock Position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 7.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,960 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,702 shares during the period. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $5,737,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 887.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the third quarter valued at about $60,000. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Constellation Brands during the third quarter worth about $62,000. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Trading Up 1.9 %

NYSE:STZ opened at $182.99 on Friday. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $176.51 and a 12 month high of $274.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $221.02 and its 200 day moving average is $236.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.07 billion, a PE ratio of 49.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.91.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.19 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.01 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is presently 108.60%.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In other news, major shareholder Wildstar Partners Llc sold 660 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 1,736,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $418,589,044. This represents a 0.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO William A. Newlands sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.58, for a total transaction of $6,089,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 7,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,771,800.92. This trade represents a 77.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 69,172 shares of company stock worth $16,778,841 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STZ has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $255.00 price target (down previously from $300.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Constellation Brands from $280.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Barclays reduced their target price on Constellation Brands from $282.00 to $214.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.