Soros Capital Management LLC Raises Holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Soros Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) by 36.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,632 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,982 shares during the quarter. Soros Capital Management LLC's holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $4,118,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 13.3% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in Constellation Brands by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,755,602 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,155,946,000 after purchasing an additional 324,690 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Constellation Brands by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,204,003 shares of the company's stock valued at $705,844,000 after purchasing an additional 63,323 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in Constellation Brands by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,901,975 shares of the company's stock worth $641,336,000 after purchasing an additional 18,557 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $542,391,000 after purchasing an additional 736,780 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company's stock.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Constellation Brands stock traded up $0.28 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $187.56. 1,586,896 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,706,587. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $160.46 and a 12 month high of $265.70. 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $180.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $205.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 9th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $2.13 billion for 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%. The company's revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.26 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. This is a boost from Constellation Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 29th. Constellation Brands's dividend payout ratio is currently -800.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on STZ. Roth Mkm dropped their target price on Constellation Brands from $284.00 to $256.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price 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. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Argus lowered Constellation Brands from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $201.00 price target (down from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, January 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.