Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC Sells 60 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC decreased its stake in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,351 shares of the company’s stock after selling 60 shares during the quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $1,535,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of STZ. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC now owns 2,499 shares of the company’s stock worth $604,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. increased its stake in Constellation Brands by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 1,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Schear Investment Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Schear Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $610,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. RDA Financial Network boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. RDA Financial Network now owns 2,114 shares of the company’s stock valued at $531,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Lincoln National Corp grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 2,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $645,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on STZ. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $294.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 target price on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Constellation Brands from $312.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.55.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE STZ traded down $0.80 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $260.86. The company had a trading volume of 343,235 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,257,104. The stock has a market cap of $47.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $221.81 and a 1 year high of $274.87. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $258.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $247.57.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 23.06% and a net margin of 16.13%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.98 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. This is a boost from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is presently 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.