StockNews.com Upgrades Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) to “Hold”

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on STZ. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $201.00 price target (down previously from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley downgraded Constellation Brands from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $220.00 to $202.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, November 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price target for the company. Finally, Roth Capital dropped their price target on Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.24.

Constellation Brands Trading Up 4.3 %

Shares of Constellation Brands stock opened at $186.64 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $184.27 and a 200-day moving average of $221.29. The stock has a market cap of $33.73 billion, a PE ratio of 50.17, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. Constellation Brands has a 52-week low of $160.46 and a 52-week high of $274.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The company’s revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.19 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Constellation Brands will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 108.60%.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In other news, Director William T. Giles purchased 1,000 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $186.39 per share, for a total transaction of $186,390.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $272,688.57. This trade represents a 215.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Constellation Brands

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in STZ. Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.