Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) Downgraded to Sell Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Wednesday.

STZ has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Roth Capital lowered their price target on Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Constellation Brands from $280.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut shares of Constellation Brands from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $245.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $254.29.

Constellation Brands Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE STZ opened at $178.22 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $191.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $224.51. Constellation Brands has a twelve month low of $160.46 and a twelve 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. The company has a market capitalization of $32.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.91, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last released 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). The business had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. Constellation Brands’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.19 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Constellation Brands will post 13.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is presently 108.60%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William T. Giles bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $272,688.57. This trade represents a 215.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 12.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 1,844.7% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 924,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $204,265,000 after purchasing an additional 876,745 shares during the period. Copperleaf Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter worth $343,000. Grimes & Company Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at $6,099,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 62.8% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,575 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,663,000 after purchasing an additional 6,391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Southern Style Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at $3,074,000. 77.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.