Marshall Wace LLP Increases Holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) by 26.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 147,454 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 30,788 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned 0.08% of Constellation Brands worth $32,587,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 36.6% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,550 shares of the company's stock worth $657,000 after buying an additional 683 shares during the last quarter. Arvest Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 3rd quarter worth about $243,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 260.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 20,495 shares of the company's stock worth $5,281,000 after buying an additional 14,813 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 3rd quarter worth about $223,000. Finally, Copley Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the 3rd quarter worth about $455,000. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

STZ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $201.00 price objective (down previously from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, January 13th. Roth Mkm cut their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $284.00 to $256.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $260.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Constellation Brands from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Thursday, April 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $224.42.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 0.5 %

Constellation Brands stock traded down $0.99 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $186.29. The stock had a trading volume of 655,863 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,700,556. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $180.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $205.62. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $160.46 and a 12-month high of $265.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 9th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.26 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 29th. This is an increase from Constellation Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. Constellation Brands's payout ratio is -800.00%.

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.