Old Port Advisors Purchases 1,391 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Old Port Advisors boosted its position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO – Get Rating) by 19.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,618 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,391 shares during the quarter. Old Port Advisors’ holdings in Diageo were worth $1,536,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of Diageo by 2.9% in the second quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 2,162 shares of the company’s stock worth $376,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Diageo by 2.2% in the third quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $497,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its stake in shares of Diageo by 4.8% in the third quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 1,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $239,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Stillwater Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Diageo by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Stillwater Investment Management LLC now owns 5,332 shares of the company’s stock worth $950,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tevis Investment Management grew its stake in shares of Diageo by 6.5% in the third quarter. Tevis Investment Management now owns 1,075 shares of the company’s stock worth $182,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. 9.04% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Diageo Trading Down 1.6 %

NYSE DEO opened at $171.86 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $176.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $175.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. Diageo plc has a 52 week low of $160.09 and a 52 week high of $212.33.

Diageo Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 3rd will be paid a $1.5187 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 2nd. This represents a dividend yield of 2.06%. This is an increase from Diageo’s previous semi-annual dividend of $1.43.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays increased their price objective on Diageo from GBX 5,010 ($61.06) to GBX 5,100 ($62.16) in a research report on Friday, January 27th. HSBC dropped their price objective on Diageo from GBX 4,800 ($58.50) to GBX 4,500 ($54.84) in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Diageo in a research report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Diageo from GBX 4,350 ($53.02) to GBX 4,500 ($54.84) in a research report on Thursday, December 1st. Finally, Investec raised Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $4,081.00.

About Diageo

(Get Rating)

Diageo Plc engages in the production and distribution of alcoholic beverages. Its brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, JeB, Buchanan’s, Windsor and Bushmills whiskies, Smirnoff, Ciroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray, and Guinness. It operates through the following geographical segments: North America; Europe and Turkey; Africa; Latin America and Caribbean; Asia Pacific; ISC; and Corporate and Other.