Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Shares Sold by Dillon & Associates Inc.

Dillon & Associates Inc. trimmed its holdings in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 8.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,407 shares of the company’s stock after selling 210 shares during the period. Dillon & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Diageo were worth $306,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings 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 during the period. Canoe Financial LP boosted its holdings in 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 period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Diageo by 32.8% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 65,894 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,248,000 after buying an additional 16,285 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Diageo by 9.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,242,065 shares of the company’s stock valued at $735,671,000 after purchasing an additional 437,646 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maia Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Diageo by 24.7% during the fourth quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 13,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 2,593 shares in the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on DEO shares. UBS Group raised shares of Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen raised 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Diageo presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $129.00.

Diageo Price Performance

Shares of DEO opened at $107.09 on Monday. Diageo plc has a fifty-two week low of $105.23 and a fifty-two week high of $149.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.57 billion, a PE ratio of 15.63, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.65. The company’s 50-day moving average is $112.65 and its 200-day moving average is $122.64. 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 Announces Dividend

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a yield of 3.8%. Diageo’s payout ratio is 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.