Stablepoint Partners LLC Sells 354 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Stablepoint Partners LLC lessened its position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 5,001 shares of the company’s stock after selling 354 shares during the quarter. Stablepoint Partners LLC’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $1,105,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of STZ. Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 887.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the third quarter worth about $42,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the third quarter worth about $60,000. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Constellation Brands in the 3rd quarter valued at about $62,000. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Constellation Brands news, major shareholder Wildstar Partners Llc sold 660 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were 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 $418,589,044. This trade represents a 0.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO William A. Newlands sold 7,426 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.24, for a total transaction of $1,761,744.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 7,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,725,683.76. The trade was a 50.52 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 69,172 shares of company stock worth $16,778,841. 12.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

NYSE STZ opened at $182.99 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a market cap of $33.07 billion, a PE ratio of 49.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.91. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52 week low of $176.51 and a 52 week high of $274.87. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $221.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $236.32.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.08). Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The business had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.19 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is currently 108.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on STZ. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Constellation Brands from $270.00 to $260.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $201.00 price target (down from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $282.00 to $214.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $280.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, November 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.05.

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.