Proficio Capital Partners LLC Takes Position in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 113,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,119,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 1,844.7% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 924,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $204,265,000 after purchasing an additional 876,745 shares in the last quarter. Copperleaf Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $343,000. Grimes & Company Inc. bought a new position in Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter valued at about $6,099,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 62.8% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,663,000 after buying an additional 6,391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Southern Style Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,074,000. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on STZ. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $214.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. BNP Paribas began coverage on Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, November 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $261.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $203.00 target price (down previously from $262.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $252.81.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Constellation Brands news, Director William T. Giles bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $186.39 per share, with a total value of $186,390.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $272,688.57. This trade represents a 215.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 12.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Constellation Brands Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE STZ opened at $181.46 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.79 billion, a PE ratio of 48.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $180.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $219.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $160.46 and a 12 month high of $274.87.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The business’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.19 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 108.60%.

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.