LPL Financial LLC Has $54.09 Million Holdings in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 425,429 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,402 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in Diageo were worth $54,085,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT increased its stake in Diageo by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT now owns 3,383 shares of the company’s stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Diageo by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 1,864 shares of the company’s stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its position in shares of Diageo by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 1,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Diageo by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,286 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Diageo by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,735 shares of the company’s stock valued at $475,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on DEO shares. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group raised Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded 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 assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Diageo has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $129.00.

Diageo Stock Performance

Shares of Diageo stock opened at $105.39 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $111.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $122.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. Diageo plc has a 12 month low of $104.59 and a 12 month high of $149.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.65.

Diageo Announces Dividend

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