Crescent Sterling Ltd. Has $1.27 Million Stock Holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Crescent Sterling Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 28.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,747 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,259 shares during the period. Constellation Brands accounts for 1.3% of Crescent Sterling Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Crescent Sterling Ltd.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $1,270,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,144,428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,841,048,000 after purchasing an additional 402,211 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,853,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $477,515,000 after purchasing an additional 21,454 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 5.7% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,335,976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $343,717,000 after buying an additional 72,637 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 31.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,002,332 shares of the company’s stock worth $257,865,000 after buying an additional 241,982 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 23,184.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 499,689 shares of the company’s stock worth $128,765,000 after buying an additional 497,543 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on STZ shares. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Constellation Brands from $315.00 to $305.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, November 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price target on the stock. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $298.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $310.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $255.00 price objective (down previously from $300.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, October 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.30.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In related news, major shareholder Wildstar Partners Llc sold 660 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $418,589,044. This trade represents a 0.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO William A. Newlands sold 7,426 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,725,683.76. The trade was a 50.52 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 188,446 shares of company stock valued at $45,687,281 over the last three months. Company insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

NYSE STZ opened at $181.57 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market cap of $32.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.76, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.75. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $231.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $241.28. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $179.55 and a 52-week 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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 25.34% and a net margin of 5.29%. The firm’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.19 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 130.74%.

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.