Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fifteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $288.70.

Several research analysts have weighed in on STZ shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $305.00 to $280.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $308.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $307.00 to $293.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $255.00 price objective (down from $300.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:STZ traded down $0.50 during trading on Friday, reaching $239.00. 1,701,897 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,221,266. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $240.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $246.23. Constellation Brands has a 52-week low of $224.76 and a 52-week high of $274.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market cap of $43.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 77.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.90.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 3rd. The company reported $4.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.08 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 5.29% and a return on equity of 25.34%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.70 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Constellation Brands will post 13.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 5th were issued a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 5th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. Constellation Brands's payout ratio is 130.74%.

Insider Activity

In other Constellation Brands news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 7,426 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.24, for a total transaction of $1,761,744.24. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 7,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,725,683.76. The trade was a 50.52 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Wildstar Partners Llc sold 660 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.00, for a total transaction of $159,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,736,884 shares in the company, valued at $418,589,044. This represents a 0.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 189,956 shares of company stock valued at $46,058,091 in the last ninety days. 12.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. New Millennium Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the second quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Wellington Shields & Co. LLC boosted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 50.0% in the second quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 150 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.34% of the company's stock.

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.