Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Shares Sold by CENTRAL TRUST Co

CENTRAL TRUST Co cut its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,645 shares of the company’s stock after selling 394 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $3,015,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 23,184.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 499,689 shares of the company’s stock valued at $128,765,000 after acquiring an additional 497,543 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,144,428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,841,048,000 after purchasing an additional 402,211 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 66.3% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 369,966 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,762,000 after purchasing an additional 147,457 shares during the period. NFJ Investment Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 617.3% in the third quarter. NFJ Investment Group LLC now owns 108,382 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,929,000 after purchasing an additional 93,273 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 4,601.2% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 87,771 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,618,000 after purchasing an additional 85,904 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

NYSE:STZ opened at $180.87 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $215.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $233.86. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $176.51 and a 12 month high of $274.87. The firm has a market cap of $32.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 6.27%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.19 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 108.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Wildstar Partners Llc sold 660 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.00, for a total transaction of $159,060.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,736,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $418,589,044. This trade represents a 0.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director William T. Giles bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at $272,688.57. This represents a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 61,746 shares of company stock worth $15,017,097. 12.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on STZ shares. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $201.00 price objective (down previously from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, January 13th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $270.00 to $260.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $255.00 price target (down from $300.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, November 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Constellation Brands presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $257.14.

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 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.