Northern Trust Corp Acquires 185,282 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO - Free Report) by 39.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 649,769 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 185,282 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned 0.12% of Diageo worth $82,605,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in DEO. Canoe Financial LP grew its stake in Diageo by 88,407.3% in the fourth quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 8,113,468 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,031,465,000 after purchasing an additional 8,104,301 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Diageo by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,813,938 shares of the company's stock valued at $739,126,000 after acquiring an additional 571,873 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Diageo by 234.4% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,600,702 shares of the company's stock valued at $330,627,000 after purchasing an additional 1,822,994 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in Diageo by 1,181.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,406,004 shares of the company's stock valued at $178,745,000 after purchasing an additional 1,296,285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Diageo by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,220,534 shares of the company's stock worth $155,167,000 after purchasing an additional 103,540 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 8.97% of the company's stock.

Diageo Stock Performance

NYSE:DEO traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $115.36. 586,926 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 930,777. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $64.17 billion, a PE ratio of 16.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.60. Diageo plc has a one year low of $100.72 and a one year high of $144.27. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $108.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $116.40.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $1.62 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Diageo's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Berenberg Bank initiated coverage on Diageo in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Diageo from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.