NS Partners Ltd Reduces Holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

NS Partners Ltd reduced its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,349 shares of the company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. NS Partners Ltd’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $6,265,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 887.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays reduced their target price 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. Roth Capital lowered their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley cut Constellation Brands from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $220.00 to $202.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.24.

Constellation Brands Stock Up 4.3 %

Shares of Constellation Brands stock opened at $186.64 on Friday. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $160.46 and a 1 year high of $274.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The stock 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 two-hundred day moving average is $221.45.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.19 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 108.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Constellation Brands

In other news, Director William T. Giles acquired 1,000 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $186.39 per share, for a total transaction of $186,390.00. Following 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 purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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.