Sentry Investment Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ)

Sentry Investment Management LLC cut its stake in Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) by 9.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 846 shares of the company’s stock after selling 91 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $205,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of STZ. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Constellation Brands by 84,839.5% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,742,434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $867,309,000 after acquiring an additional 3,738,028 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $373,796,000. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 102.0% during the 2nd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,937,570 shares of the company’s stock worth $723,027,000 after acquiring an additional 1,483,668 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 31.3% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,809,273 shares of the company’s stock worth $882,799,000 after acquiring an additional 908,486 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Darsana Capital Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 288.9% during the 3rd quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 875,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $219,914,000 after acquiring an additional 650,000 shares in the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Constellation Brands from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Constellation Brands from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $292.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $309.00 to $301.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 21st. Finally, TheStreet lowered shares of Constellation Brands from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Constellation Brands presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.55.

Constellation Brands Stock Performance

NYSE:STZ opened at $257.78 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The company has a market cap of $47.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.97. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.81 and a fifty-two week high of $274.87. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $257.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $247.05.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 11th. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.16. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 23.06%. The business had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.98 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.5 EPS for the current year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. This is a positive change from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.