Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Shares Bought by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 69,016 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,520 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $15,244,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in STZ. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Constellation Brands by 13.3% in 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. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,204,003 shares of the company's stock valued at $705,844,000 after acquiring an additional 63,323 shares during the last quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 42.9% in the fourth quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 2,454,258 shares of the company's stock valued at $542,391,000 after purchasing an additional 736,780 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in Constellation Brands by 13.2% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,176,095 shares of the company's stock worth $482,919,000 after purchasing an additional 253,445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $445,883,000. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In related news, Director William T. Giles bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $186.39 per share, for a total transaction of $186,390.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $272,688.57. This represents a 215.98 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 12.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on STZ. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $270.00 to $260.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Constellation Brands from $260.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Constellation Brands from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and issued a $201.00 price objective (down from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, January 13th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $228.50.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 1.5 %

Constellation Brands stock traded down $2.85 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $184.42. The stock had a trading volume of 953,198 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,691,785. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $160.46 and a 52-week high of $265.70. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $177.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $208.21. 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 cap of $33.33 billion, a PE ratio of 49.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75.

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

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.02 per share. This is a boost from Constellation Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 29th. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. Constellation Brands's payout ratio is presently -792.16%.

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.