Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Has $202,000 Holdings in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. lessened its stake in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 37.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,589 shares of the company’s stock after selling 939 shares during the quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Diageo were worth $202,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Canoe Financial LP raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 8,104,301 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew 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 acquiring an additional 437,646 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Diageo by 13.4% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,254,393 shares of the company’s stock valued at $176,042,000 after acquiring an additional 147,920 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Diageo by 25.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,116,994 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,759,000 after acquiring an additional 229,946 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Diageo by 6.9% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 991,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $139,141,000 after acquiring an additional 64,367 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Diageo Stock Performance

NYSE:DEO opened at $112.81 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $62.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.47, a price-to-earnings-growth 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’s 50-day moving average is $115.90 and its 200-day moving average is $124.32. Diageo plc has a 1-year low of $105.72 and a 1-year high of $151.76.

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 issued 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’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.42%.

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.