Sigma Planning Corp Reduces Holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Sigma Planning Corp reduced its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 34.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,873 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,042 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $856,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 1,844.7% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 924,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $204,265,000 after purchasing an additional 876,745 shares in the last quarter. Copperleaf Capital LLC bought a new stake in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at about $343,000. Grimes & Company Inc. purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth about $6,099,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 62.8% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,575 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,663,000 after buying an additional 6,391 shares during the period. Finally, Southern Style Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,074,000. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Trading Down 0.4 %

STZ stock opened at $178.27 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $192.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.84. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $160.46 and a fifty-two week high of $274.87. The firm has a market cap of $32.22 billion, a PE ratio of 47.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.10.

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

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.01 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 108.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STZ has been the subject of several analyst reports. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, November 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Argus downgraded shares of Constellation Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $201.00 price target (down from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, January 13th. Ten 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $254.29.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William T. Giles bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at $272,688.57. This trade represents a 215.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 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.