Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Stake Cut by Blair William & Co. IL

Blair William & Co. IL trimmed its position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO - Free Report) by 7.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,876 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,536 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL's holdings in Diageo were worth $5,451,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Canoe Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of Diageo by 88,407.3% during the fourth quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 8,113,468 shares of the company's stock worth $1,031,465,000 after buying an additional 8,104,301 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Diageo by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,220,534 shares of the company's stock valued at $155,167,000 after purchasing an additional 103,540 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Diageo by 6.9% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 991,459 shares of the company's stock valued at $139,141,000 after purchasing an additional 64,367 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Diageo during the fourth quarter worth about $123,892,000. Finally, Cambiar Investors LLC increased its position in shares of Diageo by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Cambiar Investors LLC now owns 497,022 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,186,000 after purchasing an additional 31,613 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on DEO. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Diageo from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Diageo from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. UBS Group raised Diageo from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Berenberg Bank initiated coverage on shares of Diageo in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Diageo has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $129.00.

Diageo Stock Performance

DEO traded down $3.82 during trading on Friday, reaching $104.19. 3,580,332 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 910,119. Diageo plc has a 52 week low of $103.70 and a 52 week high of $145.55. The stock has a market cap of $57.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.21, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $110.12 and a 200 day moving average of $121.06.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

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

About Diageo

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.