Seeds Investor LLC Buys New Holdings in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Seeds Investor LLC purchased a new position in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 1,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $217,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Canoe Financial LP increased 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 worth $1,031,465,000 after purchasing an additional 8,104,301 shares in the last quarter. 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 worth $739,126,000 after acquiring an additional 571,873 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in shares of Diageo by 1,181.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,406,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $178,745,000 after acquiring an additional 1,296,285 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Diageo by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,220,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $155,167,000 after acquiring an additional 103,540 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,132,046 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,917,000 after acquiring an additional 140,587 shares in the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Diageo Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of Diageo stock opened at $109.52 on Monday. Diageo plc has a 1-year low of $100.72 and a 1-year high of $144.27. The company has a market capitalization of $60.92 billion, a PE ratio of 15.99, 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. The business has a 50-day moving average of $107.97 and a 200-day moving average of $119.50.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $1.62 dividend. 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on DEO. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Berenberg Bank started coverage on Diageo in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Diageo currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $129.00.

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.