American Century Companies Inc. Increases Position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,372,485 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,110 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.76% of Constellation Brands worth $303,319,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,357 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,626,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. BSW Wealth Partners increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,563 shares of the company’s stock valued at $345,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC now owns 923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Oak Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Oak Asset Management LLC now owns 17,611 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,892,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hartford Funds Management Co LLC increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 4.2% in the third quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC now owns 1,797 shares of the company’s stock valued at $463,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 0.6 %

STZ stock opened at $177.73 on Friday. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $160.46 and a 12 month high of $274.87. The firm has a market cap of $32.12 billion, a PE ratio of 47.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.90. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $177.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $217.28. 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 released its 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). The business had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.19 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 108.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STZ has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen cut their price target on Constellation Brands from $270.00 to $260.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $201.00 price objective (down from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $250.41.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In other news, Director William T. Giles purchased 1,000 shares of Constellation Brands 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 transaction, the director now owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at $272,688.57. The trade was a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 12.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.