Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Shares Purchased by Trexquant Investment LP

Trexquant Investment LP raised its stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ - Free Report) by 62.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,213 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,668 shares during the quarter. Trexquant Investment LP's holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $8,445,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 887.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 158 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.34% of the company's stock.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Shares of STZ traded up $12.70 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $183.66. 4,518,210 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,679,192. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $176.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $209.96. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $160.46 and a 12-month high of $274.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a market cap of $33.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.37, 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 earnings results on Wednesday, April 9th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.14 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The company'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 firm earned $2.26 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William T. Giles bought 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares of the company's stock, valued at $272,688.57. The trade was a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 12.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on STZ shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective 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. TD Cowen cut their price target on Constellation Brands from $270.00 to $260.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Roth Capital decreased their price objective on Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Argus downgraded Constellation Brands from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $244.32.

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.