TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. Sells 24,359 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lowered its position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO - Free Report) by 59.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,934 shares of the company's stock after selling 24,359 shares during the quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.'s holdings in Diageo were worth $2,151,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Canoe Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of Diageo by 88,407.3% in the fourth quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 8,113,468 shares of the company's stock worth $1,031,465,000 after purchasing an additional 8,104,301 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in Diageo by 1,181.5% during the 4th 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 period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Diageo in the 4th quarter worth $123,892,000. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Diageo by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,813,938 shares of the company's stock valued at $739,126,000 after acquiring an additional 571,873 shares during the period. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA bought a new position in shares of Diageo during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,777,000. 8.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Diageo from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Berenberg Bank began coverage on shares of Diageo in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $129.00.

Diageo Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE:DEO traded up $0.68 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $111.25. 644,882 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 931,424. The company has a market cap of $61.89 billion, a PE ratio of 16.24, a P/E/G 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. Diageo plc has a one year low of $100.72 and a one year high of $144.27. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $108.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $117.59.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.8%. Diageo's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.