2,545 Shares in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) Acquired by BankPlus Trust Department

BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,545 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $562,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 1,844.7% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 924,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,265,000 after acquiring an additional 876,745 shares in the last quarter. Copperleaf Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at about $343,000. Grimes & Company Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Constellation Brands during the fourth quarter valued at about $6,099,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake 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 during the period. Finally, Southern Style Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,074,000. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Constellation Brands

In other Constellation Brands news, Director William T. Giles purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $186.39 per share, for a total transaction of $186,390.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $272,688.57. This represents a 215.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 12.19% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $201.00 price target (down previously from $310.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a report on Monday, January 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Constellation Brands from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $282.00 to $214.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $280.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $254.29.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

STZ opened at $176.00 on Monday. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $160.46 and a fifty-two week high of $274.87. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $194.29 and a 200 day moving average of $225.71. 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 firm has a market cap of $31.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.31, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $2.46 billion for 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 firm’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.19 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.