Capital International Investors Grows Stake in Constellation Brands Inc $STZ

Capital International Investors lifted its position in Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ) by 48.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,442,600 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,105,546 shares during the period. Capital International Investors’ holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $888,930,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Choreo LLC boosted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 3,116 shares of the company’s stock worth $437,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 14.2% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 3,507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $484,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $498,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sigma Planning Corp lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 2,458 shares of the company’s stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Shares of Constellation Brands stock opened at $141.11 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $150.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $149.53. Constellation Brands Inc has a 52 week low of $126.45 and a 52 week high of $178.13. The company has a market capitalization of $24.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.71, a PEG ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 8th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.19. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.18% and a net margin of 17.29%.The business had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.63 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Constellation Brands Inc will post 11.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 29th were given a $1.03 dividend. This is an increase from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 29th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STZ has been the topic of several analyst reports. Evercore set a $175.00 target price on Constellation Brands and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $185.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on Constellation Brands from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Constellation Brands from $176.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Constellation Brands from $160.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.26.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In related news, EVP James O. Bourdeau sold 4,407 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total value of $631,258.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,109 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,304,773.16. The trade was a 32.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 12.45% of the company’s stock.

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.