First Bank & Trust Grows Position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

First Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 265.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,522 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,190 shares during the quarter. First Bank & Trust’s holdings in Diageo were worth $1,083,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Citigroup Inc. grew its stake in Diageo by 4.4% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 158,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,234,000 after buying an additional 6,617 shares during the period. Canoe Financial LP boosted 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 during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Diageo by 32.8% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 65,894 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,248,000 after purchasing an additional 16,285 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in Diageo by 9.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,242,065 shares of the company’s stock valued at $735,671,000 after purchasing an additional 437,646 shares during the period. Finally, Tevis Investment Management lifted its stake in shares of Diageo by 159.7% during the fourth quarter. Tevis Investment Management now owns 13,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,763,000 after purchasing an additional 8,528 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on DEO shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $129.00.

Diageo Stock Performance

Shares of DEO opened at $106.47 on Thursday. 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 $105.72 and a one year high of $154.71. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $120.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $125.65.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th.

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.