Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $231.10.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $230.00 to $210.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Roth Capital decreased their price target on Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Constellation Brands from $203.00 to $194.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Constellation Brands from $260.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $260.00 to $215.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Constellation Brands news, Director William T. Giles purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $186.39 per share, for a total transaction of $186,390.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at $272,688.57. This represents a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 12.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On Constellation Brands

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Constellation Brands Stock Up 0.5 %

STZ stock traded up $0.88 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $185.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,758,949 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,693,240. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $176.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $209.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.90, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Constellation Brands has a 52-week low of $160.46 and a 52-week high of $265.70.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 9th. The company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.14 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 6.27%. Constellation Brands's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.26 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Constellation Brands will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. This is a positive change from Constellation Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 29th. Constellation Brands's payout ratio is -792.16%.

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 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.