Wealth Alliance Trims Holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Wealth Alliance decreased its holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,548 shares of the company’s stock after selling 121 shares during the quarter. Wealth Alliance’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $342,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Corps Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter worth $552,000. Ieq Capital LLC raised its position in Constellation Brands by 248.6% during the 4th quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 9,734 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,151,000 after buying an additional 6,942 shares during the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC raised its position in Constellation Brands by 75.5% during the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 72,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,941,000 after buying an additional 31,036 shares during the last quarter. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd purchased a new position in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter worth $4,420,000. Finally, Callahan Advisors LLC raised its position in Constellation Brands by 77.5% during the 4th quarter. Callahan Advisors LLC now owns 1,438 shares of the company’s stock worth $318,000 after buying an additional 628 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $293.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Roth Capital lowered their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $280.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, November 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price target on the stock. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $254.29.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Constellation Brands stock opened at $176.00 on Friday. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $160.46 and a 12-month high of $274.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.90. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $194.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $225.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.46.

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

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.01 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 108.60%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William T. Giles purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $186.39 per share, for a total transaction of $186,390.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $272,688.57. This represents a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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.