Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Shares Sold by Greenleaf Trust

Greenleaf Trust lowered its position in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 11.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,236 shares of the company’s stock after selling 298 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $541,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in STZ. Darsana Capital Partners LP raised its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 288.9% during the third quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 875,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $219,914,000 after purchasing an additional 650,000 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 24,922.5% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 567,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $137,075,000 after buying an additional 564,744 shares during the last quarter. Phoenix Holdings Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 38.3% in the third quarter. Phoenix Holdings Ltd. now owns 551,447 shares of the company’s stock worth $138,608,000 after buying an additional 152,799 shares during the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the third quarter worth $30,640,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 70.0% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 218,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,983,000 after buying an additional 89,822 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In related news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.63, for a total transaction of $4,160,345.03. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,910 shares in the company, valued at $5,512,503.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 16.19% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of STZ opened at $259.68 on Tuesday. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $221.81 and a 1 year high of $274.87. The company has a market cap of $47.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.19. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $258.44 and a 200-day moving average of $247.40.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.16. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 23.06%. The company had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.98 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.01 per share. This is a boost from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is currently 37.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and issued a $305.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $292.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $312.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.55.

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 Premier, Corona Familiar, Corona Light, Corona Refresca, Corona Hard Seltzer, Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, Modelo Chelada, Victoria, Vicky Chamoy, and Pacifico brands.