Townsend & Associates Inc Has $11.84 Million Stock Position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Townsend & Associates Inc raised its holdings in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 4.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 98,926 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,100 shares during the quarter. Townsend & Associates Inc’s holdings in Diageo were worth $11,844,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. UBS Group upgraded Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, TD Cowen upped 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, two have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Diageo currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $129.00.

Diageo Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:DEO opened at $110.54 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $61.49 billion, a PE ratio of 16.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.66. 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 fifty day moving average price of $119.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $125.49. Diageo plc has a 1 year low of $105.72 and a 1 year high of $154.71.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a yield of 3.8%. Diageo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.28%.

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.