Synergy Asset Management LLC Decreases Stake in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Synergy Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 15.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,688 shares of the company’s stock after selling 680 shares during the period. Synergy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $1,002,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC now owns 2,499 shares of the company’s stock valued at $604,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,352 shares of the company’s stock worth $569,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 1,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co raised its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $207,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Copperwynd Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Copperwynd Financial LLC now owns 2,779 shares of the company’s stock valued at $672,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 0.1 %

Constellation Brands stock traded down $0.35 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $255.94. The stock had a trading volume of 806,950 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,184,966. The company has a market cap of $46.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.21, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.87. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $255.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $253.76. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52 week low of $227.50 and a 52 week high of $274.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.16. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 23.06% and a net margin of 16.13%. The business had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.98 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.67 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 17th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd were paid a $1.01 dividend. This is a positive change from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.07%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.63, for a total value of $4,160,345.03. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,512,503.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.63, for a total value of $4,160,345.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,512,503.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO William A. Newlands sold 4,013 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.25, for a total value of $1,056,422.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 5,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,420,233.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 48,031 shares of company stock valued at $12,582,321. 12.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on STZ shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Bank of America upped their price target on Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Argus upgraded shares of Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $306.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $292.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.37.

Constellation Brands Company Profile

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.