Vaughan David Investments LLC IL Grows Holdings in Constellation Brands Inc $STZ

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL raised its position in Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 177,047 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,763 shares during the period. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $24,425,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in STZ. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,202,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,451,346,000 after purchasing an additional 573,766 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 7,238,575 shares of the company’s stock worth $998,740,000 after purchasing an additional 553,974 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 48.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 6,442,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $888,930,000 after purchasing an additional 2,105,546 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,739,549 shares of the company’s stock worth $513,871,000 after purchasing an additional 54,184 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.0% during the third quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 3,710,940 shares of the company’s stock worth $499,752,000 after purchasing an additional 35,085 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE STZ opened at $142.93 on Friday. Constellation Brands Inc has a 12-month low of $126.45 and a 12-month high of $178.13. The stock has a market cap of $24.61 billion, a PE ratio of 14.90, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company has a 50-day moving average of $149.95 and a 200 day moving average of $149.83.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 8th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.19. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 17.29% and a return on equity of 26.18%. The company had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.63 EPS. Constellation Brands’s revenue was down 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Constellation Brands Inc will post 11.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th were issued a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 29th. This is a positive change from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $151.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $155.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $142.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Monday, April 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.26.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Constellation Brands news, EVP James O. Bourdeau sold 4,407 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total value of $631,258.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,109 shares in the company, valued at $1,304,773.16. The trade was a 32.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 12.45% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Constellation Brands Company Profile

Constellation Brands, Inc is a leading producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits, with operations spanning production, importation, marketing and distribution. The company’s beverage portfolio includes a range of premium and mainstream wines and spirits alongside major imported beer brands; in the U.S. market Constellation is widely known for its role in bringing Mexican imports such as Corona and Modelo to American consumers. Constellation supplies retail, on?premise and foodservice channels and supports its brands with national sales and marketing platforms and supply?chain capabilities.

The company traces its roots to the Canandaigua Wine Company, founded by Marvin Sands in 1945, and evolved through organic growth and acquisition into a diversified beverage company.