Tredje AP fonden Purchases 45,800 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Tredje AP fonden increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 51.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 134,376 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 45,800 shares during the quarter. Tredje AP fonden owned 0.07% of Constellation Brands worth $29,697,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of STZ. Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 887.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William T. Giles acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $186.39 per share, for a total transaction of $186,390.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $272,688.57. The trade was a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

NYSE:STZ opened at $183.95 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $33.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.45, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $182.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $220.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 1-year low of $160.46 and a 1-year high of $274.87.

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

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $1.01 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is currently 108.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $201.00 price target (down 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 decreased their price target for the company from $220.00 to $202.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $203.00 price target (down from $262.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.24.

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.