Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC boosted its position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 22.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,293 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $286,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 887.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

STZ opened at $178.35 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $177.14 and its 200 day moving average is $215.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a market cap of $32.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.94, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.90. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $160.46 and a 12-month high of $274.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $2.46 billion for 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 company’s revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.19 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on STZ shares. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $203.00 price target (down from $262.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Constellation Brands from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $220.00 to $202.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Constellation Brands from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $245.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Argus downgraded shares of Constellation Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $250.41.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In other news, Director William T. Giles bought 1,000 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $272,688.57. The trade was a 215.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through 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.