Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Shares Sold by Bridgewater Associates LP

Bridgewater Associates LP lowered its position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) by 19.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 135,364 shares of the company's stock after selling 32,538 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP owned 0.07% of Constellation Brands worth $29,915,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 1,844.7% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 924,274 shares of the company's stock valued at $204,265,000 after purchasing an additional 876,745 shares during the last quarter. Copperleaf Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $343,000. Grimes & Company Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $6,099,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Constellation Brands by 62.8% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,575 shares of the company's stock worth $3,663,000 after purchasing an additional 6,391 shares during the period. Finally, Southern Style Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $3,074,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.34% of the company's stock.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Constellation Brands stock traded down $3.08 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $183.55. The company's stock had a trading volume of 200,490 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,688,007. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.10. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $160.46 and a fifty-two week high of $265.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.17 billion, a PE ratio of 49.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $178.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $206.29.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 9th. The company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.26 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 29th will be issued a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 29th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. This is a boost from Constellation Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Constellation Brands's dividend payout ratio is currently -800.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STZ has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Roth Mkm reduced their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $284.00 to $256.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Barclays lifted their target price on Constellation Brands from $203.00 to $207.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $201.00 price objective (down previously from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Roth Capital reduced their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Constellation Brands currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $224.42.

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.