Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Shares Bought by Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC

Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 23.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,921 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 753 shares during the quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $949,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.7% in the fourth 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. lifted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 1,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. United Capital Financial Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 2.9% during the first quarter. United Capital Financial Advisers LLC now owns 1,552 shares of the company’s stock worth $357,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Schear Investment Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Schear Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,522 shares of the company’s stock worth $610,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Bragg Financial Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Bragg Financial Advisors Inc now owns 2,825 shares of the company’s stock worth $655,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Constellation Brands stock traded up $2.02 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $260.70. 1,506,629 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,361,376. The company has a market capitalization of $47.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.97. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $258.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $247.29. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $221.81 and a 1 year high of $274.87. 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 (NYSE:STZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 23.06% and a net margin of 16.13%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.98 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.51 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 1.55%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. This is a boost from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.63, for a total transaction 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 approximately $5,512,503.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 16.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on STZ. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Friday, April 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Constellation Brands from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler began coverage on Constellation Brands in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $300.00 price objective for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.55.

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 Premier, Corona Familiar, Corona Light, Corona Refresca, Corona Hard Seltzer, Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, Modelo Chelada, Victoria, Vicky Chamoy, and Pacifico brands.