Constellation Brands Inc. (STZ), the world’s leading wine company, has signed a multiyear distribution agreement with Young’s Market Co. and its affiliates (Young’s) as the company’s exclusive distributor in Alaska, Washington and Oregon. Young’s, a recognized market leader in the Pacific Northwest, already has a longstanding business relationship with Constellation. With more than 1 million cases sold annually, Constellation is currently Young’s largest supplier in volume in the Pacific Northwest.

The company has recently signed a multi-year agreement with distributors to consolidate its network in the U.S. for better sales efforts. The main objectives of this realignment are improving organic growth, creating distributor teams focused exclusively on Constellation’s portfolio, and improving the coordination of marketing and promotional programs to support the brands.  Constellation is also in the process of rolling out an enhanced incentive structure for the distributors to drive organic growth.

This agreement is therefore, a part of the

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Constellation Brands Inc (STZ), a leading global wine, spirits and other beverage producing company, reported strong fiscal 2010 second quarter results with earnings excluding non-recurring items of 54 cents per share – a 20% increase year over year. The earnings also exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 13 cents or 31.7%. The strong quarterly results were primarily driven by global cost-cutting initiatives, de-levering of balance sheet, and continued stress on increasing sustainable free cash flow. During the quarter, pre-tax restructuring charges, acquisition-related integration costs, and other non-recurring expenses decreased to $29 million compared to $129 million in the year-earlier quarter. In addition, interest expenses reduced 17% year over year to $67 million due to lower average borrowings during the quarter. Total debt decreased by over $155 million during the quarter and by over $1 billion since the beginning of fiscal 2009. Consolidated net sales decreased ...

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Constellation Brands Inc. (STZ) reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of 21 cents per share, which missed the lowered consensus estimate by 2 cents.

The stock has slipped more than 3% today amid lower-than-normal volume of approximately 2.7 million, compared to average volume of about 3.3 million.

Net sales decreased 17% year-over-year due to strengthening of the US dollar coupled with divestitures of the Almaden, Inglenook and certain Pacific Northwest wine brands.

The manufacturer of wine and spirits expects fiscal 2010 earnings between $1.60 and $1.70 per share, which is in-line with the reduced consensus estimate of $1.62. A month ago, analysts were expecting $1.78 for the fiscal year.

STZ is a Zacks #4 Rank ("Sell") stock.

"STZ" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?Zacks Investment Research

World Beer sales are slipping, and dudes like Homer are drinking less.  That means beer companies are going to be making less money in 2009, so let's get drunk and short them all. So what stocks to short? These frosty mugs: Beer Company Ticker Share Price ($) Mkt Cap Companhia de Bebidas das Americas (ADR) ABV 46.59 28.61B Molson Coors Brewing Company TAP 42.55 7.81B Craft Brewers Alliance, ...