Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Sells 103 Shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,443 shares of the company’s stock after selling 103 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $761,000 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 STZ. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Constellation Brands by 887.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. 77.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of STZ stock opened at $174.08 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $31.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.10. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a one year low of $160.46 and a one year high of $274.87. The company’s 50-day moving average is $185.90 and its 200 day moving average is $222.14.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 10th. The company reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.08). Constellation Brands had a net margin of 6.27% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.19 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Constellation Brands’s payout ratio is currently 108.60%.

Insider Activity at Constellation Brands

In related news, Director William T. Giles bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The shares were acquired at an average price 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 approximately $272,688.57. The trade was a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 12.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on STZ shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $295.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Roth Capital dropped their price objective on Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays reduced their target price on Constellation Brands from $282.00 to $214.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $203.00 price target (down previously from $262.00) on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $293.00 price objective on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Constellation Brands has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.43.

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.