Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Stock Holdings Lowered by Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,782 shares of the company’s stock after selling 101 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Diageo were worth $354,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Diageo by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 158,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,234,000 after acquiring an additional 6,617 shares in the last quarter. Canoe Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Diageo by 88,407.3% in the 4th quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 8,113,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,031,465,000 after purchasing an additional 8,104,301 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Diageo by 32.8% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 65,894 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,248,000 after purchasing an additional 16,285 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Diageo by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,242,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $735,671,000 after buying an additional 437,646 shares during the period. Finally, Maia Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Diageo by 24.7% during the 4th quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 13,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,648,000 after buying an additional 2,593 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group upgraded Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Diageo presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $129.00.

Diageo Stock Down 0.5 %

Diageo stock opened at $107.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.60. Diageo plc has a twelve month low of $105.72 and a twelve month high of $151.76. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $114.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $123.79. The firm has a market cap of $60.00 billion, a PE ratio of 15.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.65.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $1.62 dividend. This represents a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Diageo’s payout ratio is currently 46.42%.

Diageo Company Profile

Diageo plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production, marketing, and sale of alcoholic beverages. The company offers scotch, gin, vodka, rum, raki, liqueur, wine, tequila, Chinese white spirits, cachaça, and brandy, as well as beer, including cider and flavored malt beverages. It also provides Chinese, Canadian, Irish, American, and Indian-Made Foreign Liquor whiskies, as well as flavored malt beverages, ready to drink, and non-alcoholic products.