Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) EVP James A. Jr. Sabia Sells 15,781 Shares of Stock

Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) 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 value of $4,160,345.03. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,512,503.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE STZ opened at $257.31 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $47.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.43, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.97. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.81 and a 12 month high of $274.87. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $257.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $247.13. 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 (NYSE:STZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 23.06%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.98 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. This is an increase from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is presently 37.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STZ has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. TheStreet cut Constellation Brands from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Argus upgraded Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $306.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Constellation Brands presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.55.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Constellation Brands

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. D.B. Root & Company LLC purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands during the first quarter worth $477,000. Guidance Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the first quarter worth about $251,000. Fox Hill Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 1st quarter worth about $213,000. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO grew its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 5,829 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,584,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the period. Finally, Chemung Canal Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 629.7% in the 1st quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 17,614 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,787,000 after purchasing an additional 15,200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

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 Premier, Corona Familiar, Corona Light, Corona Refresca, Corona Hard Seltzer, Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, Modelo Chelada, Victoria, Vicky Chamoy, and Pacifico brands.