Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Short Interest Down 17.7% in November

Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) saw a large drop in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 2,830,000 shares, a drop of 17.7% from the November 15th total of 3,440,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,280,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days. Approximately 1.8% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on STZ shares. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $298.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Friday, October 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Constellation Brands from $307.00 to $293.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Constellation Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $300.00 to $270.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $315.00 to $305.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC began coverage on Constellation Brands in a report on Friday, December 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price target for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $288.70.

Constellation Brands Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE:STZ traded up $0.21 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $239.66. 1,077,313 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,209,297. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.53. Constellation Brands has a twelve month low of $224.76 and a twelve month high of $274.87. The stock has a market cap of $43.51 billion, a PE ratio of 77.56, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.75. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $238.99 and a 200 day moving average of $246.02.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 3rd. The company reported $4.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.08 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.95 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 5.29% and a return on equity of 25.34%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.70 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Constellation Brands will post 13.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 5th were given a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 5th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 130.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Constellation Brands news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 7,426 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.24, for a total value of $1,761,744.24. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 7,274 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Samuel J. Glaetzer sold 1,510 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.57, for a total transaction of $370,810.70. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,970 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,220,482.90. The trade was a 23.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 189,956 shares of company stock worth $46,058,091 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Constellation Brands

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Paloma Partners Management Co lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 568.4% during the third quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 30,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,731,000 after acquiring an additional 25,512 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 318.8% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,184 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,624,000 after purchasing an additional 7,752 shares during the period. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,132,000. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Constellation Brands by 29.5% in the 3rd quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 30,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,772,000 after buying an additional 6,867 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chartwell Investment Partners LLC increased its position in Constellation Brands by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 39,431 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,161,000 after buying an additional 2,627 shares during the period. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.