AIA Group Ltd Trims Stock Holdings in Constellation Brands Inc $STZ

AIA Group Ltd lowered its stake in shares of Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ) by 5.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 123,048 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,419 shares during the period. AIA Group Ltd owned 0.07% of Constellation Brands worth $18,457,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Spartan Wealth Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the 1st quarter valued at about $249,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 8,465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,270,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the 1st quarter valued at $656,000. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 1st quarter valued at $1,368,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 47.8% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,000 after buying an additional 542 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP James O. Bourdeau sold 4,407 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total value of $631,258.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,109 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,304,773.16. This represents a 32.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 12.20% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on STZ shares. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, May 18th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $183.00 to $158.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $185.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Barclays cut their price objective on Constellation Brands from $170.00 to $139.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $167.89.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of STZ opened at $133.16 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.74 billion, a PE ratio of 12.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.14 and a beta of 0.39. Constellation Brands Inc has a 12-month low of $126.45 and a 12-month high of $178.13. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $140.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $149.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by ($0.27). The business had revenue of $2.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.39 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 25.58% and a net margin of 18.87%.The business’s revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.22 EPS. Constellation Brands has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.200-11.900 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Constellation Brands Inc will post 11.82 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 30th will be issued a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 30th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.31%.

Constellation Brands Profile

Constellation Brands, Inc is a leading producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits, with operations spanning production, importation, marketing and distribution. The company’s beverage portfolio includes a range of premium and mainstream wines and spirits alongside major imported beer brands; in the U.S. market Constellation is widely known for its role in bringing Mexican imports such as Corona and Modelo to American consumers. Constellation supplies retail, on‑premise and foodservice channels and supports its brands with national sales and marketing platforms and supply‑chain capabilities.

The company traces its roots to the Canandaigua Wine Company, founded by Marvin Sands in 1945, and evolved through organic growth and acquisition into a diversified beverage company.