Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Stake Lowered by Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,577 shares of the company’s stock after selling 63 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $1,233,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 876,745 shares during the last quarter. Copperleaf Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter valued at $343,000. Grimes & Company Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter valued at $6,099,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 6,391 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Southern Style Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter valued at $3,074,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on STZ. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $282.00 to $214.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Constellation Brands from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $220.00 to $202.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $203.00 target price (down previously from $262.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, January 13th. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, November 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 target price for the company. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Constellation Brands from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.24.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In other Constellation Brands news, Director William T. Giles bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at $272,688.57. The trade was a 215.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 12.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

NYSE:STZ opened at $186.64 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $33.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.17, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $184.27 and its 200-day moving average is $221.45. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $160.46 and a 52-week high of $274.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted 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 business had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The business’s revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.19 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is currently 108.60%.

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.