United Community Bank Acquires 75 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

United Community Bank raised its stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 14.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 588 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the quarter. United Community Bank’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $160,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 46.0% in the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,012 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,453,000 after purchasing an additional 1,893 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 192,585 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,570,000 after buying an additional 5,951 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Constellation Brands by 35.8% in the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 2,002 shares of the company’s stock valued at $484,000 after acquiring an additional 528 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at $962,000. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 100.4% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 250,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,666,000 after purchasing an additional 125,730 shares during the period. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael Mcgrew sold 3,237 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.50, for a total transaction of $827,053.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $442,270.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,512,503.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael Mcgrew sold 3,237 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.50, for a total transaction of $827,053.50. Following the transaction, 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. Insiders sold 48,031 shares of company stock worth $12,582,321 over the last three months. Insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on STZ shares. 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 report on Monday, April 15th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $310.00 to $311.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $291.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 5th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $300.11.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of STZ stock traded up $1.58 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $253.67. 142,150 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,203,446. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.50 and a twelve month high of $274.87. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $254.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $254.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.42 billion, a PE ratio of 26.88, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 3rd. The company reported $3.57 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.46 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.67 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 22.70% and a return on equity of 23.72%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.91 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.7 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 14th will be issued a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 14th. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.59%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.