Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Shares Sold by Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lowered its stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 12.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,379 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,500 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $5,388,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in STZ. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 1,844.7% in 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. Copperleaf Capital LLC bought a new stake in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at $343,000. Grimes & Company Inc. bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter worth about $6,099,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 62.8% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,663,000 after buying an additional 6,391 shares during the period. Finally, Southern Style Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,074,000. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of STZ stock opened at $178.27 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $192.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $224.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $160.46 and a fifty-two week high of $274.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

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

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 108.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STZ has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $293.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised Constellation Brands from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $270.00 to $260.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $282.00 to $214.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $254.29.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In related news, Director William T. Giles bought 1,000 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate 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.