Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $257.14.

A number of equities analysts have commented on STZ shares. Argus lowered Constellation Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com downgraded Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated 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. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $245.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th.

Constellation Brands Stock Up 1.1 %

STZ stock opened at $184.32 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $217.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $234.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.55, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.91. Constellation Brands has a fifty-two week low of $176.51 and a fifty-two week 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.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued 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 business had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.19 EPS. Constellation Brands’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands will post 13.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 108.60%.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In related news, Director William T. Giles purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of $186.39 per share, with a total value 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO William A. Newlands sold 25,000 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.58, for a total value of $6,089,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 7,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,771,800.92. This represents a 77.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 61,746 shares of company stock worth $15,017,097 in the last quarter. 12.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Constellation Brands

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of STZ. Oakworth Capital Inc. raised its stake in Constellation Brands by 4.4% during the third quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 989 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,150 shares of the company’s stock worth $296,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 5,570 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,435,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 858 shares of the company’s stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 4.6% during the third quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 1,158 shares of the company’s stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.