Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Shares Sold by Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,610 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Diageo were worth $459,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Canoe Financial LP grew its stake 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 grew its stake in Diageo by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,242,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $735,671,000 after purchasing an additional 437,646 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Diageo by 13.4% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,254,393 shares of the company’s stock worth $176,042,000 after purchasing an additional 147,920 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Diageo by 25.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,116,994 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,759,000 after purchasing an additional 229,946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Diageo by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 991,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $139,141,000 after purchasing an additional 64,367 shares in the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Diageo Stock Down 1.6 %

Diageo stock opened at $106.40 on Thursday. Diageo plc has a fifty-two week low of $105.23 and a fifty-two week high of $149.44. 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 company has a market capitalization of $59.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.53, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $113.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $123.00.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $1.62 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Diageo’s payout ratio is currently 46.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DEO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. UBS Group raised Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Diageo has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.