Short Interest in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Expands By 27.8%

Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,780,000 shares, an increase of 27.8% from the March 15th total of 3,740,000 shares. Currently, 3.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,890,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $260.00 to $215.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Argus lowered shares of Constellation Brands from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price 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. StockNews.com lowered Constellation Brands from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Constellation Brands from $203.00 to $194.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. 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 Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of Constellation Brands stock traded down $1.48 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $185.80. 217,471 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,698,792. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.46 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. The company has a fifty day moving average of $180.06 and a 200-day moving average of $205.62.

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

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.02 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 29th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. This is an increase from Constellation Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Constellation Brands's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -800.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,357 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,626,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Piscataqua Savings Bank raised its holdings in Constellation Brands by 1.7% in the first quarter. Piscataqua Savings Bank now owns 3,720 shares of the company's stock valued at $683,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. BSW Wealth Partners lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,563 shares of the company's stock valued at $345,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 0.9% during the first quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 6,991 shares of the company's stock worth $1,283,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.0% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,242 shares of the company's stock worth $412,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 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.