Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Position Boosted by Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc.

Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 14.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,414 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the period. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $534,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of 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. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Shares of STZ opened at $183.53 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $33.17 billion, a PE ratio of 49.34, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $179.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $218.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.10. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a twelve month low of $160.46 and a twelve month high of $274.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 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 was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.19 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is 108.60%.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In other news, Director William T. Giles acquired 1,000 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $186.39 per share, for a total transaction of $186,390.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $272,688.57. This represents a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 12.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on STZ. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $201.00 target price (down from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, January 13th. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, November 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 target price for the company. Roth Capital decreased their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Constellation Brands from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $220.00 to $202.00 in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $293.00 to $289.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $252.81.

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.