J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Sells 64 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,686 shares of the company’s stock after selling 64 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $408,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,050,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,018,005,000 after purchasing an additional 58,518 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,499,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $376,752,000 after purchasing an additional 53,862 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,015,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $255,126,000 after purchasing an additional 85,330 shares in the last quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP raised its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 288.9% in the 3rd quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 875,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $219,914,000 after purchasing an additional 650,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC raised its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 800,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,236,000 after purchasing an additional 71,979 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Stock Up 0.7 %

STZ stock opened at $261.64 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $258.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $247.57. The company has a market capitalization of $47.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.53. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.81 and a 12 month high of $274.87.

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

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a $1.01 dividend. This is an increase from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is 43.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on STZ shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $292.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $294.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $306.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.55.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 12th. The shares were 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through 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 shares were 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO William A. Newlands sold 4,013 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.25, for a total transaction of $1,056,422.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at $1,420,233.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 16.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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