Capital Research Global Investors Buys 18,557 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,901,975 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 18,557 shares during the quarter. Capital Research Global Investors owned about 1.61% of Constellation Brands worth $641,336,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of STZ. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at $445,883,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 13.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,534,787 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,433,188,000 after buying an additional 1,821,969 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 1,844.7% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 924,274 shares of the company's stock valued at $204,265,000 after acquiring an additional 876,745 shares during the last quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC raised its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 42.9% in the 4th quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 2,454,258 shares of the company's stock valued at $542,391,000 after acquiring an additional 736,780 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $105,766,000. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Shares of STZ traded up $0.28 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $187.56. The stock had a trading volume of 1,586,895 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,704,072. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The company has a market capitalization of $33.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $180.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $205.62. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52 week low of $160.46 and a 52 week high of $265.70.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 9th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.35. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The firm had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.26 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 29th will be given a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. 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 presently -800.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STZ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $201.00 target price (down from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, January 13th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Roth Capital dropped their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $203.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Constellation Brands from $230.00 to $210.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $224.42.

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.