Hantz Financial Services Inc. Sells 93 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Hantz Financial Services Inc. decreased its position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,966 shares of the company’s stock after selling 93 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $876,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Grimes & Company Inc. bought a new position in Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter worth $6,099,000. Paloma Partners Management Co lifted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 568.4% during the 3rd quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 30,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,731,000 after purchasing an additional 25,512 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Constellation Brands by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 84,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,699,000 after purchasing an additional 2,980 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Constellation Brands by 318.8% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,624,000 after buying an additional 7,752 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WealthPlan Investment Management LLC increased its position in Constellation Brands by 29.5% in the 3rd quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 30,160 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,772,000 after buying an additional 6,867 shares during the period. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on STZ shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $280.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Barclays dropped 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. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $201.00 target price (down previously from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Constellation Brands from $315.00 to $305.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $257.14.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 1.9 %

NYSE STZ opened at $180.87 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $216.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $234.44. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a one year low of $176.51 and a one year high of $274.87. The firm has a market cap of $32.69 billion, a PE ratio of 48.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.75. 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 announced its earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 EPS 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.19 EPS. Constellation Brands’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.01 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is 108.60%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.58, for a total transaction of $6,089,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 7,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,771,800.92. This represents a 77.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director William T. Giles acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $272,688.57. This trade represents a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold 61,746 shares of company stock valued at $15,017,097 over the last three months. 12.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.