StockNews.com Downgrades Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) to Sell

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report issued on Friday.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on STZ. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $270.00 to $260.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $315.00 to $305.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $280.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $255.00 price target (down from $300.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, October 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Constellation Brands has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $259.05.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Constellation Brands stock traded down $0.52 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $184.05. The company had a trading volume of 2,839,837 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,211,230. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $227.76 and a 200 day moving average of $239.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market cap of $33.42 billion, a PE ratio of 49.48, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.91. Constellation Brands has a one year low of $176.51 and a one year high of $274.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 25.34% and a net margin of 5.29%. Constellation Brands's revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.19 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Constellation Brands will post 13.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Constellation Brands

In other Constellation Brands news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 7,426 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.24, for a total value of $1,761,744.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 7,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,725,683.76. This trade represents a 50.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Wildstar Partners Llc sold 660 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.00, for a total value of $159,060.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,736,884 shares in the company, valued at $418,589,044. The trade was a 0.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,172 shares of company stock worth $16,778,841 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 12.19% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Constellation Brands

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in STZ. Oakworth Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 4.4% during the third quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 989 shares of the company's stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,150 shares of the company's stock worth $296,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 950 shares of the company's stock worth $244,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 5,570 shares of the company's stock worth $1,435,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 6.2% in the third quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 858 shares of the company's stock valued at $221,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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