Baxter Bros Inc. Sells 1,787 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Baxter Bros Inc. lowered its position in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 42.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,413 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,787 shares during the period. Baxter Bros Inc.’s holdings in Diageo were worth $307,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its holdings in Diageo by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 41,321 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,253,000 after purchasing an additional 4,454 shares during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association raised its stake in shares of Diageo by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 3,810 shares of the company’s stock worth $484,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Taikang Asset Management Hong Kong Co Ltd acquired a new position in Diageo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,924,000. CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Diageo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Twin City Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Diageo by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Twin City Private Wealth LLC now owns 8,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,049,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Diageo Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE:DEO opened at $106.32 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $59.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.52, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $112.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $122.48. Diageo plc has a 1 year low of $105.23 and a 1 year high of $149.44.

Diageo Announces Dividend

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 issued 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on DEO. Jefferies Financial Group raised Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group upgraded Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.