Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 10,662 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 17.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 51,471 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,662 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $12,446,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC now owns 2,499 shares of the company’s stock valued at $604,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 1,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Schear Investment Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Schear Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,522 shares of the company’s stock worth $610,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Lincoln National Corp lifted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 2,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $645,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC lifted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC now owns 10,449 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,626,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of STZ stock opened at $256.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.53. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a one year low of $221.81 and a one year high of $274.87. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $260.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $248.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.82 billion, a PE ratio of 27.30, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.95.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 23.06%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.98 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.51 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a dividend of $1.01 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. This is a boost from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.07%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STZ has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.55.

Constellation Brands 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.