Fernwood Investment Management LLC Buys 225 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Fernwood Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,690 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. Fernwood Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $2,101,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Oak Thistle LLC boosted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 36.9% in the 3rd quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 1,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $338,000 after buying an additional 362 shares during the period. AMI Asset Management Corp boosted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. AMI Asset Management Corp now owns 170,503 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,853,000 after buying an additional 4,450 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 53,118 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,350,000 after buying an additional 909 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund boosted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 17.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 34,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,691,000 after buying an additional 5,100 shares during the period. Finally, Accurate Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter. Accurate Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $328,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on STZ shares. TheStreet downgraded shares of Constellation Brands from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Friday, January 5th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $305.00 price target on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Friday, April 12th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $300.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.55.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In other news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 4,013 shares of Constellation Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.25, for a total value of $1,056,422.25. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,420,233.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, CEO William A. Newlands sold 4,013 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.25, for a total value of $1,056,422.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 5,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,420,233.75. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP James A. Jr. Sabia sold 15,781 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.63, for a total value of $4,160,345.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,512,503.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 16.19% of the company’s stock.

Constellation Brands Trading Up 0.4 %

STZ traded up $1.15 on Monday, hitting $261.19. 573,434 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,245,248. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $259.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $248.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.19. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.81 and a 12 month high of $274.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.75 billion, a PE ratio of 27.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.97.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.16. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 23.06% and a net margin of 16.13%. The business had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.98 EPS. Constellation Brands’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a $1.01 dividend. This is a positive change from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.95%.

Constellation Brands 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 Premier, Corona Familiar, Corona Light, Corona Refresca, Corona Hard Seltzer, Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, Modelo Chelada, Victoria, Vicky Chamoy, and Pacifico brands.