Searle & CO. Sells 100 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Searle & CO. trimmed its position in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 8.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,050 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Searle & CO.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $254,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its stake in Constellation Brands by 3,833.3% in the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 118 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Constellation Brands in the third quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. 77.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on STZ. HSBC upped their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $312.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.55.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

STZ traded up $0.49 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $253.95. The stock had a trading volume of 1,007,775 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,249,633. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.19. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a twelve month low of $221.81 and a twelve month high of $274.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.02, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.97. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $260.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $248.46.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.16. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 23.06%. The business had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.98 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. This is an increase from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is 37.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 4,013 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.25, for a total transaction of $1,056,422.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,420,233.75. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Constellation Brands news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 4,013 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.25, for a total value of $1,056,422.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at $1,420,233.75. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.63, for a total value of $4,160,345.03. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,910 shares in the company, valued at $5,512,503.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 16.19% of the company’s stock.

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.