South Dakota Investment Council Boosts Holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

South Dakota Investment Council grew its position in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 11.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,638 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $3,014,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in STZ. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the third quarter worth $39,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 887.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Shares of Constellation Brands stock opened at $176.00 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $194.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $225.71. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52 week low of $160.46 and a 52 week high of $274.87. The stock has a market cap of $31.81 billion, a PE ratio of 47.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75.

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

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 108.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on STZ. Roth Capital dropped their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $201.00 price target (down previously from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, January 13th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $255.00 to $190.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Constellation Brands from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Constellation Brands has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $254.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William T. Giles acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s 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 acquisition, the director now owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $272,688.57. This represents a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 12.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.