Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Stake Lowered by Intellectus Partners LLC

Intellectus Partners LLC decreased its stake in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 14.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,480 shares of the company’s stock after selling 249 shares during the period. Intellectus Partners LLC’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $327,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Constellation Brands by 1,844.7% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 924,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $204,265,000 after purchasing an additional 876,745 shares during the last quarter. Copperleaf Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth approximately $343,000. Grimes & Company Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,099,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Constellation Brands by 62.8% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,575 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,663,000 after buying an additional 6,391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Southern Style Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,074,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William T. Giles purchased 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 completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at $272,688.57. This trade represents a 215.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Constellation Brands stock opened at $186.64 on Friday. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $160.46 and a fifty-two week high of $274.87. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $184.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $221.29. 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 company has a market cap of $33.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75.

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

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on STZ shares. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Constellation Brands from $255.00 to $190.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Constellation Brands from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Piper Sandler cut shares of Constellation Brands from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $245.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $201.00 price objective (down previously from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.24.

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.