WD Rutherford LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

WD Rutherford LLC cut its stake in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,217 shares of the company’s stock after selling 481 shares during the period. WD Rutherford LLC’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $2,258,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its holdings in Constellation Brands by 751.1% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.4% in the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 8,606 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,218,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 17,116 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,411,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 48.5% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,172 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after buying an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stonegate Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 3rd quarter valued at about $291,000. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Constellation Brands stock opened at $162.69 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $29.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.90. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $160.46 and a 12 month high of $274.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $201.35 and its 200-day moving average is $228.41.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its quarterly 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). Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The business had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.19 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $1.01 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.48%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 108.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STZ has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com upgraded Constellation Brands from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Barclays lowered their target price on Constellation Brands from $282.00 to $214.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Piper Sandler cut Constellation Brands from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $245.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $293.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Constellation Brands currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $254.29.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In other Constellation Brands news, major shareholder Wildstar Partners Llc sold 660 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.00, for a total value of $159,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,736,884 shares in the company, valued at $418,589,044. This represents a 0.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director William T. Giles acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $186.39 per share, for a total transaction of $186,390.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $272,688.57. This trade represents a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 12.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Constellation Brands 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.