Haverford Trust Co Purchases 394 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Haverford Trust Co raised its position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 12.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,491 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the period. Haverford Trust Co’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $772,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in STZ. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Constellation Brands by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,534,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,433,188,000 after buying an additional 1,821,969 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 1,844.7% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 924,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,265,000 after acquiring an additional 876,745 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $105,766,000. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 6.0% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,144,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,841,048,000 after purchasing an additional 402,211 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 54.9% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 453,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,373,000 after purchasing an additional 160,563 shares during the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

STZ opened at $180.48 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.62 billion, a PE ratio of 48.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.90. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $177.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $216.39. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $160.46 and a 52-week high of $274.87.

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

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is currently 108.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on STZ. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, November 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Constellation Brands from $270.00 to $260.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered Constellation Brands from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $220.00 to $202.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $201.00 target price (down previously from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, January 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $250.41.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director William T. Giles bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $272,688.57. The trade was a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 12.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.