Guggenheim Capital LLC Purchases 8,294 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Guggenheim Capital LLC grew its position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO - Free Report) by 79.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,732 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,294 shares during the quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in Diageo were worth $2,381,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of DEO. Canoe Financial LP raised its stake in Diageo by 88,407.3% during 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. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in shares of Diageo by 1,181.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,406,004 shares of the company's stock valued at $178,745,000 after buying an additional 1,296,285 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Diageo in the fourth quarter worth $123,892,000. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Diageo by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,813,938 shares of the company's stock worth $739,126,000 after acquiring an additional 571,873 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new position in Diageo during the fourth quarter valued at $37,777,000. 8.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DEO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Berenberg Bank assumed coverage on shares of Diageo in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. TD Cowen raised their price target on Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Diageo from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $129.00.

Diageo Price Performance

NYSE:DEO opened at $109.39 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.97, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $107.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $118.57. Diageo plc has a 1 year low of $100.72 and a 1 year high of $144.27.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

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

Diageo 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DEO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.