Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Shares Bought by Townsend & Associates Inc

Townsend & Associates Inc raised its position in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO - Free Report) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 98,926 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,100 shares during the period. Townsend & Associates Inc's holdings in Diageo were worth $11,844,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Canoe Financial LP raised its position 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 in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Diageo by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,242,065 shares of the company's stock valued at $735,671,000 after acquiring an additional 437,646 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Diageo by 13.4% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,254,393 shares of the company's stock valued at $176,042,000 after acquiring an additional 147,920 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Diageo by 30.5% in the 3rd quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 1,215,786 shares of the company's stock valued at $170,623,000 after acquiring an additional 284,046 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Diageo by 25.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,116,994 shares of the company's stock valued at $156,759,000 after acquiring an additional 229,946 shares during the period. 8.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Diageo Stock Down 0.2 %

DEO stock traded down $0.20 on Tuesday, hitting $110.07. 642,293 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,100,263. Diageo plc has a 12-month low of $105.72 and a 12-month high of $154.71. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $118.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $125.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.60. The stock has a market cap of $61.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.66.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a yield of 3.8%. Diageo's payout ratio is presently 46.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DEO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen lifted 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. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Diageo from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Diageo from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Diageo presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $129.00.

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.