U S Global Investors Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

U S Global Investors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 59.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,300 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,360 shares during the period. U S Global Investors Inc.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $1,392,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. PFG Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.8% in the third quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,150 shares of the company’s stock worth $296,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. boosted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 3.9% in the third quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 6,851 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,765,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 858 shares of the company’s stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 25,363 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,536,000 after purchasing an additional 1,513 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Inc. AR raised its position in Constellation Brands by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 51,453 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,259,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STZ has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $203.00 target price (down from $262.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $293.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $270.00 to $260.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $253.43.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of STZ opened at $173.43 on Friday. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52 week low of $160.46 and a 52 week high of $274.87. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $190.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a market capitalization of $31.34 billion, a PE ratio of 46.62, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.19 EPS. Research analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is 108.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Constellation Brands news, Director William T. Giles acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $186.39 per share, for a total transaction of $186,390.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $272,688.57. This trade represents a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

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.