Stevens Capital Management LP Decreases Stock Holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Stevens Capital Management LP lowered its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) by 59.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,324 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,455 shares during the quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP's holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $599,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stifel Financial Corp raised its holdings in Constellation Brands by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 213,497 shares of the company's stock worth $55,028,000 after purchasing an additional 19,181 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 58.4% in the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 7,944 shares of the company's stock worth $2,047,000 after buying an additional 2,928 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 69,100 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,806,000 after buying an additional 4,570 shares in the last quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 48.4% during the 3rd quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC now owns 2,759 shares of the company's stock valued at $711,000 after buying an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NFJ Investment Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 617.3% during the 3rd quarter. NFJ Investment Group LLC now owns 108,382 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,929,000 after acquiring an additional 93,273 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company's stock.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of STZ stock traded down $0.51 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $238.99. 1,701,825 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,208,090. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The company has a market cap of $43.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 77.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.75. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $224.76 and a fifty-two week high of $274.87. The stock's 50 day moving average is $240.49 and its 200-day moving average is $246.35.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 3rd. The company reported $4.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.08 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.95 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 5.29% and a return on equity of 25.34%. Constellation Brands's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.70 EPS. Analysts predict that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 5th were paid a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 5th. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. Constellation Brands's payout ratio is currently 130.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on STZ. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Constellation Brands from $307.00 to $293.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $308.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $320.00 to $295.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 9th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Constellation Brands from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $300.00 to $270.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $295.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $288.70.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 7,426 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.24, for a total transaction of $1,761,744.24. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 7,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,725,683.76. This trade represents a 50.52 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 36,086 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.99, for a total transaction of $8,768,537.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,042 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,898,045.58. This represents a 69.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 189,956 shares of company stock valued at $46,058,091 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 12.19% of the company's stock.

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.