Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC cut its position in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,386 shares of the company’s stock after selling 225 shares during the period. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $306,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 887.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Roth Capital decreased their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $270.00 to $260.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $203.00 target price (down previously from $262.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut shares of Constellation Brands from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $220.00 to $202.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.81.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William T. Giles purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $186.39 per share, for a total transaction of $186,390.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $272,688.57. This trade represents a 215.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 0.1 %

STZ stock opened at $181.46 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $180.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $219.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.10. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $160.46 and a fifty-two week high of $274.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.78, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.08). Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 6.27%. The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.19 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.01 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is 108.60%.

Constellation Brands Company 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.