Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC Sells 5,341 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 148,374 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,341 shares during the period. Constellation Brands makes up approximately 1.5% of Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $32,791,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Diversified Trust Co raised its stake in Constellation Brands by 6.2% during the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 929 shares of the company’s stock worth $239,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 703 shares of the company’s stock worth $181,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 30.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 2,011 shares of the company’s stock worth $489,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 7,265 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,872,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 39.4% in the third quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 3,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $876,000 after buying an additional 961 shares in the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In other news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 36,086 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.99, for a total transaction of $8,768,537.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,898,045.58. This trade represents a 69.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO William A. Newlands sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.58, for a total transaction of $6,089,500.00. Following the completion of 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 61,746 shares of company stock worth $15,017,097. Insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

NYSE:STZ opened at $169.05 on Friday. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $166.02 and a 12-month high of $274.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.90. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $208.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $231.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.19 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is 108.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on STZ shares. UBS Group lowered their target price on Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $280.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. StockNews.com cut Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $203.00 price objective (down previously from $262.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $293.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $254.29.

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.