Stifel Financial Corp Acquires 7,285 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Stifel Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO - Free Report) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 315,176 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,285 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned about 0.06% of Diageo worth $40,069,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in DEO. Canoe Financial LP boosted its stake in Diageo by 88,407.3% in 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 during the period. FMR LLC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 571,873 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position 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 worth $178,745,000 after buying an additional 1,296,285 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Diageo by 9.3% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Diageo by 14.2% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,132,046 shares of the company's stock worth $143,917,000 after acquiring an additional 140,587 shares in the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Diageo Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of DEO stock traded down $0.52 on Tuesday, reaching $110.68. 176,535 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 928,453. The stock has a market cap of $61.57 billion, a PE ratio of 16.16, 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. Diageo plc has a one year low of $100.72 and a one year high of $144.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $108.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $117.42.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Diageo's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on DEO shares. Berenberg Bank initiated coverage on Diageo in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Diageo from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of 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 assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $129.00.

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.