Financial Counselors Inc. Has $5.06 Million Stock Position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Financial Counselors Inc. lessened its holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 6.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,885 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,459 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $5,058,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on STZ shares. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com lowered Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Argus downgraded Constellation Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered 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 analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $250.41.

Constellation Brands Stock Up 3.2 %

STZ opened at $184.05 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $177.20 and a 200 day moving average of $215.67. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $160.46 and a 12 month high of $274.87. The company has a market cap of $33.26 billion, a PE ratio of 49.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.90.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 EPS 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 company had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.19 earnings per share. Constellation Brands’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is presently 108.60%.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In other news, Director William T. Giles bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the acquisition, 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

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.