Insider Selling: Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Major Shareholder Sells 660 Shares of Stock

Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) major shareholder Wildstar Partners Llc sold 660 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.00, for a total value of $159,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,736,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $418,589,044. This represents a 0.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:STZ opened at $239.66 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $243.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $247.56. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a twelve month low of $224.76 and a twelve month high of $274.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.51 billion, a PE ratio of 77.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.90.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 3rd. The company reported $4.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.08 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.95 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 5.29% and a return on equity of 25.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.70 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.57 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 5th were issued a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 5th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is 130.74%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Constellation Brands

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New Millennium Group LLC purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 77.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on STZ shares. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $255.00 price target (down previously from $300.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Constellation Brands from $320.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Constellation Brands from $310.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $315.00 to $305.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $298.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Constellation Brands has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $290.47.

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.