Constellation Brands’ (STZ) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at Needham & Company LLC

Needham & Company LLC reiterated their buy rating on shares of Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $240.00 price objective on the stock.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $255.00 target price (down from $300.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, October 7th. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, November 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $298.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Constellation Brands currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $257.14.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:STZ opened at $182.41 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $32.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.91. The company’s fifty day moving average is $218.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $235.16. 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 has a 12-month low of $176.51 and a 12-month high of $274.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 6.27%. The company’s revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.19 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Constellation Brands will post 13.52 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 108.60%.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In other Constellation Brands news, major shareholder Wildstar Partners Llc sold 660 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.00, for a total transaction of $159,060.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,736,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $418,589,044. This represents a 0.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 36,086 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,898,045.58. This represents a 69.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 61,746 shares of company stock valued at $15,017,097. Corporate insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Constellation Brands

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the third quarter valued at $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 887.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands in the third quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in Constellation Brands during the 3rd quarter worth about $60,000. 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.