Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Shares Sold by Eads & Heald Wealth Management

Eads & Heald Wealth Management lowered its holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 4,594 shares of the company’s stock after selling 96 shares during the period. Eads & Heald Wealth Management’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $1,015,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Constellation Brands by 887.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Constellation Brands in the third quarter valued at $42,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the third quarter valued at $60,000. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the third quarter worth about $62,000. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:STZ opened at $182.99 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $225.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $238.27. The company has a market cap of $33.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.91. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $176.51 and a 12-month high of $274.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

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

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

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 given 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 108.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Argus lowered shares of Constellation Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com lowered Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, November 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price target on the stock. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $298.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.05.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 7,426 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 7,274 shares in the company, valued at $1,725,683.76. The trade was a 50.52 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director William T. Giles acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $186.39 per share, for a total transaction of $186,390.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $272,688.57. The trade was a 215.98 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase 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 company 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.