Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Shares Sold by Kovack Advisors Inc.

Kovack Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 4.3% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,566 shares of the company’s stock after selling 71 shares during the quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $425,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 16.5% during the 1st quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC now owns 2,499 shares of the company’s stock valued at $604,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,352 shares of the company’s stock worth $569,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. raised its position in Constellation Brands by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 1,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co lifted its stake in Constellation Brands by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $207,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. 77.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on STZ shares. HSBC increased their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Barclays cut their price target on Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $288.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.63.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.54, for a total transaction of $6,538,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 14,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,844,638. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.63, for a total value of $4,160,345.03. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,512,503.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO William A. Newlands sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.54, for a total value of $6,538,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 14,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,844,638. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 48,031 shares of company stock valued at $12,582,321 over the last quarter. 12.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Shares of Constellation Brands stock traded down $8.57 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $250.37. 2,670,323 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,100,250. The business has a fifty day moving average of $255.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $254.02. 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 company has a market capitalization of $45.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.87. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $227.50 and a 1 year high of $274.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.67 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 23.06% and a net margin of 16.13%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.91 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is presently 43.07%.

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.