Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Shares Acquired by Sigma Planning Corp

Sigma Planning Corp boosted its stake in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 12.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 6,685 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 720 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Diageo were worth $850,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Canoe Financial LP grew its holdings in Diageo by 88,407.3% during the fourth quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 8,113,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,031,465,000 after acquiring an additional 8,104,301 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Diageo by 105.7% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 949,411 shares of the company’s stock worth $133,240,000 after buying an additional 487,904 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Diageo by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,242,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $735,671,000 after buying an additional 437,646 shares in the last quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new stake in shares of Diageo in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,777,000. Finally, Confluence Investment Management LLC increased its position in Diageo by 30.5% during the third quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 1,215,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $170,623,000 after buying an additional 284,046 shares in the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on DEO. TD Cowen increased their target price on Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group raised shares of Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. 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, two have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $129.00.

Diageo Stock Performance

DEO opened at $110.07 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization 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. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. Diageo plc has a 12-month low of $105.72 and a 12-month high of $154.71. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $118.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $125.33.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $1.62 dividend. This represents a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Diageo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.