Board of the Pension Protection Fund Purchases Shares of 3,400 Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 3,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $751,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in STZ. Oakworth Capital Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 989 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC raised its holdings in Constellation Brands by 3.8% during the third quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,150 shares of the company’s stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 4.7% in the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 950 shares of the company’s stock worth $244,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its stake in Constellation Brands by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 5,570 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,435,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 858 shares of the company’s stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In other news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 36,086 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.99, for a total transaction of $8,768,537.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,042 shares in the company, valued at $3,898,045.58. This represents a 69.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO William A. Newlands sold 25,000 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.58, for a total transaction of $6,089,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 7,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,771,800.92. The trade was a 77.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 69,172 shares of company stock valued at $16,778,841 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

NYSE STZ opened at $182.18 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $229.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $240.26. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $176.51 and a 52-week high of $274.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.08). Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 25.34% and a net margin of 5.29%. The company had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.19 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is currently 108.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on STZ. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $255.00 target price (down previously from $300.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $201.00 price objective (down previously from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $298.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Friday, October 4th. Argus cut shares of Constellation Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $261.40.

Constellation Brands Company 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.