Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC Invests $1.44 Million in Constellation Brands Inc $STZ

Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 10,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,441,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in STZ. Mariner LLC increased its stake in shares of Constellation Brands by 50.6% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 12,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,670,000 after purchasing an additional 4,071 shares in the last quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $254,000. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. boosted its holdings in Constellation Brands by 29.3% in the 4th quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 131,470 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,138,000 after buying an additional 29,784 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,511,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in Constellation Brands by 18.8% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,268,672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $175,026,000 after buying an additional 200,555 shares in the last quarter. 77.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:STZ opened at $148.45 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.56 billion, a PE ratio of 15.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.08. Constellation Brands Inc has a 52-week low of $126.45 and a 52-week high of $178.13. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $149.90 and a 200 day moving average of $149.94.

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.19. Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 26.18% and a net margin of 17.29%.The business had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.63 earnings per share. Constellation Brands’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands Inc will post 11.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Constellation Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th were issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is an increase from Constellation Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 29th. Constellation Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STZ has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Constellation Brands in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Constellation Brands from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Constellation Brands from $160.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Constellation Brands from $154.00 to $152.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded Constellation Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $142.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Monday, April 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.26.

Insider Activity

In other Constellation Brands news, EVP James O. Bourdeau sold 4,407 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.24, for a total transaction of $631,258.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,109 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,304,773.16. This represents a 32.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 12.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Constellation Brands Profile

Constellation Brands, Inc is a leading producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits, with operations spanning production, importation, marketing and distribution. The company’s beverage portfolio includes a range of premium and mainstream wines and spirits alongside major imported beer brands; in the U.S. market Constellation is widely known for its role in bringing Mexican imports such as Corona and Modelo to American consumers. Constellation supplies retail, on‑premise and foodservice channels and supports its brands with national sales and marketing platforms and supply‑chain capabilities.

The company traces its roots to the Canandaigua Wine Company, founded by Marvin Sands in 1945, and evolved through organic growth and acquisition into a diversified beverage company.