First Trust Advisors LP Boosts Stake in Constellation Brands Inc $STZ

First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ) by 16.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 312,977 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 45,239 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $46,947,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,238,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $998,740,000 after acquiring an additional 553,974 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in Constellation Brands by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,911,369 shares of the company’s stock worth $953,492,000 after purchasing an additional 329,337 shares during the period. Capital International Investors increased its stake in Constellation Brands by 48.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 6,442,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $888,930,000 after purchasing an additional 2,105,546 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,018,653 shares of the company’s stock worth $830,333,000 after purchasing an additional 739,393 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,739,549 shares of the company’s stock worth $513,871,000 after purchasing an additional 54,184 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In related news, EVP James O. Bourdeau sold 4,407 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total value of $631,258.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,109 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,304,773.16. The trade was a 32.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 12.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on STZ shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $183.00 to $158.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $147.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $167.53.

Constellation Brands Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE:STZ opened at $130.19 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.48. Constellation Brands Inc has a 1-year low of $126.45 and a 1-year high of $176.32. The company has a 50-day moving average of $139.46 and a 200 day moving average of $149.27. The firm has a market cap of $22.23 billion, a PE ratio of 12.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.39.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by ($0.27). Constellation Brands had a net margin of 18.87% and a return on equity of 25.58%. The business had revenue of $2.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.39 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.22 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Constellation Brands has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.200-11.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands Inc will post 11.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 30th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.31%.

Constellation Brands Company Profile

Constellation Brands, Inc is a leading producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits, with operations spanning production, importation, marketing and distribution. The company’s beverage portfolio includes a range of premium and mainstream wines and spirits alongside major imported beer brands; in the U.S. market Constellation is widely known for its role in bringing Mexican imports such as Corona and Modelo to American consumers. Constellation supplies retail, on‑premise and foodservice channels and supports its brands with national sales and marketing platforms and supply‑chain capabilities.

The company traces its roots to the Canandaigua Wine Company, founded by Marvin Sands in 1945, and evolved through organic growth and acquisition into a diversified beverage company.