Advantage Trust Co Acquires New Shares in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Advantage Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $60,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brown Advisory Inc. increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 5,437 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,367,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 6.6% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 63,451 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,947,000 after buying an additional 3,954 shares in the last quarter. NBT Bank N A NY bought a new stake in Constellation Brands during the third quarter valued at $315,000. Advisor Partners II LLC grew its position in Constellation Brands by 18.8% during the third quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 7,298 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,834,000 after buying an additional 1,154 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new position in Constellation Brands in the 3rd quarter worth about $625,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on STZ shares. Argus raised Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $306.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, April 15th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. UBS Group increased their target price on Constellation Brands from $312.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Constellation Brands from $294.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.55.

Insider Buying and Selling at Constellation Brands

In other news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.63, for a total value of $4,160,345.03. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,910 shares in the company, valued at $5,512,503.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.63, for a total transaction of $4,160,345.03. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,512,503.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael Mcgrew sold 3,237 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.50, for a total value of $827,053.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $442,270.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 23,031 shares of company stock worth $6,043,821. 16.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Constellation Brands Stock Up 0.9 %

Constellation Brands stock traded up $2.34 on Thursday, hitting $260.70. 443,515 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,207,452. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $261.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $249.30. The firm has a market cap of $47.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $223.01 and a 1 year high of $274.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.16. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 23.06% and a net margin of 16.13%. The company had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.98 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. This is an increase from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is 43.07%.

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.