Optimize Financial Inc Buys Shares of 1,903 Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Optimize Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,903 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $421,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,357 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,626,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. BSW Wealth Partners boosted its position in shares of Constellation Brands by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,563 shares of the company’s stock valued at $345,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC increased its stake in Constellation Brands by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC now owns 923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Oak Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Oak Asset Management LLC now owns 17,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,892,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barden Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Barden Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,574 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,232,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Constellation Brands

In related news, Director William T. Giles purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 215.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 12.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Constellation Brands Price Performance

Shares of NYSE STZ opened at $185.63 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $33.55 billion, a PE ratio of 49.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a twelve month low of $160.46 and a twelve month high of $270.18. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $176.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $209.03.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 9th. The company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.14 billion. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 6.27%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.26 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 29th will be given a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. This is a positive change from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 29th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio is presently -792.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on STZ. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Constellation Brands from $202.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Constellation Brands from $265.00 to $223.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Roth Capital cut their price target on Constellation Brands from $298.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Constellation Brands from $203.00 to $194.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $234.38.

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 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.