Copeland Capital Management LLC Sells 8,403 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Copeland Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 14.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,809 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,403 shares during the quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $10,566,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Constellation Brands by 23,184.7% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 499,689 shares of the company’s stock valued at $128,765,000 after acquiring an additional 497,543 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position 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 worth $1,841,048,000 after purchasing an additional 402,211 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 66.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 369,966 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,762,000 after buying an additional 147,457 shares during the last quarter. NFJ Investment Group LLC increased its position in Constellation Brands by 617.3% during the 3rd quarter. NFJ Investment Group LLC now owns 108,382 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,929,000 after buying an additional 93,273 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Constellation Brands by 4,601.2% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 87,771 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,618,000 after buying an additional 85,904 shares during the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 1.9 %

STZ stock opened at $180.87 on Monday. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a one year low of $176.51 and a one year high of $274.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $215.42 and its 200 day moving average is $233.86. The firm has a market cap of $32.69 billion, a PE ratio of 48.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.91.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.19 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.52 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is 108.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on STZ. BNP Paribas started coverage on Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, November 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $201.00 price target (down previously from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $308.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $203.00 target price (down from $262.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $255.00 target price (down previously from $300.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, October 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Constellation Brands currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $257.14.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William T. Giles acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $272,688.57. This trade represents a 215.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO William A. Newlands sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.58, for a total transaction of $6,089,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 7,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,771,800.92. This represents a 77.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 61,746 shares of company stock worth $15,017,097 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

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.