Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) Earns “Neutral” Rating from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated their neutral rating on shares of Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) in a report issued on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has a $203.00 price target on the stock, down from their prior price target of $262.00.

STZ has been the topic of several other reports. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $255.00 price objective (down from $300.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, October 7th. BNP Paribas started coverage on Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, November 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Constellation Brands from $310.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $308.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $298.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Friday, October 4th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $268.05.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

NYSE:STZ opened at $185.84 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $33.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.14, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.75. Constellation Brands has a 1 year low of $176.51 and a 1 year high of $274.87. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $230.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $240.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $2.46 billion during 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%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.19 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands will post 13.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $1.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.17%. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 130.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 7,426 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 36,086 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.99, for a total value of $8,768,537.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,042 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 188,446 shares of company stock worth $45,687,281. 12.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of STZ. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 39.3% in the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $189,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Marion Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Marion Wealth Management now owns 5,747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,270,000 after buying an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at $4,239,000. Wedmont Private Capital grew its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 32.8% in the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 2,671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 660 shares during the period. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 16,654 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,681,000 after purchasing an additional 920 shares in the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.