Cooper Financial Group Sells 133 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Cooper Financial Group cut its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,261 shares of the company’s stock after selling 133 shares during the period. Cooper Financial Group’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $721,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in 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 in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in Constellation Brands during the third quarter valued at about $39,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Constellation Brands in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD bought a new position in Constellation Brands in the second quarter worth about $57,000. 77.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE:STZ opened at $185.84 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $230.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $240.79. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $176.51 and a 12-month high of $274.87. The company has a market capitalization of $33.74 billion, a PE ratio of 60.14, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 5.29% and a return on equity of 25.34%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.19 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.57 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is 130.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on STZ shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $203.00 price target (down from $262.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $308.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Constellation Brands from $280.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $282.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $268.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 7,426 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.24, for a total value of $1,761,744.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 7,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,725,683.76. This trade represents a 50.52 % decrease 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. Also, Director Robert Sands sold 119,274 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.37, for a total value of $28,908,439.38. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 431,729 shares in the company, valued at $104,638,157.73. This trade represents a 21.65 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 188,446 shares of company stock worth $45,687,281. Corporate insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

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.