Aviso Financial Inc. Buys 7,954 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Aviso Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 242,637 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,954 shares during the period. Diageo makes up approximately 1.6% of Aviso Financial Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Aviso Financial Inc.’s holdings in Diageo were worth $30,846,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Canoe Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 8,104,301 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Diageo by 9.1% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Diageo by 13.4% during the third 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 during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Diageo by 25.9% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Diageo by 6.9% during the third 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 during the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group upgraded Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Diageo has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $129.00.

Diageo Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of DEO opened at $107.85 on Friday. Diageo plc has a 52 week low of $105.72 and a 52 week high of $151.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.75, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.65. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $114.53 and a 200-day moving average of $123.79.

Diageo Announces Dividend

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

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.