Securian Asset Management Inc. Cuts Holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Securian Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,376 shares of the company’s stock after selling 289 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $1,851,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 37.1% during the 3rd quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $352,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 8.2% during the third quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,330 shares of the company’s stock valued at $343,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 7,381 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,902,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 35.0% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 12,802 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,299,000 after buying an additional 3,321 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kovack Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 52.1% in the 3rd quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 3,830 shares of the company’s stock worth $987,000 after buying an additional 1,312 shares during the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on STZ. BNP Paribas began coverage on Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, November 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Constellation Brands from $270.00 to $260.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Roth Capital decreased their price target on Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $201.00 price objective (down from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $293.00 to $289.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.81.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

STZ opened at $181.41 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $32.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.77, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. 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 business’s fifty day simple moving average is $181.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $219.80.

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

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 2.23%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 108.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William T. Giles purchased 1,000 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $272,688.57. The trade was a 215.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 12.19% of the stock is 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.