Diageo plc (LON:DGE) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Diageo plc (LON:DGE) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the six research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is GBX 3,008 ($40.24).

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on DGE. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Diageo to a “sector perform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from GBX 2,100 ($28.09) to GBX 2,400 ($32.10) in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 3,000 ($40.13) price objective on shares of Diageo in a report on Monday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a GBX 3,200 ($42.80) price target on shares of Diageo in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a GBX 2,800 ($37.45) price objective on shares of Diageo in a report on Wednesday, June 12th.

Diageo Price Performance

Diageo stock opened at GBX 2,603.50 ($34.82) on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of £57.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 2,028.29, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.36. The business has a 50-day moving average of GBX 2,488.44 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 2,629.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 186.26. Diageo has a 1 year low of GBX 2,165.60 ($28.97) and a 1 year high of GBX 3,268.50 ($43.72).

Diageo Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 29th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This is a positive change from Diageo’s previous dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 29th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.92%. Diageo’s payout ratio is 6,201.55%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Javier Ferrán bought 339 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 2,444 ($32.69) per share, for a total transaction of £8,285.16 ($11,082.34). In the last 90 days, insiders purchased 351 shares of company stock valued at $858,066. 0.11% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Diageo Company Profile

Diageo plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production, marketing, and sale of alcoholic beverages. It offers scotch, gin, vodka, rum, raki, liqueur, wine, tequila, Chinese white spirits, cachaça, and brandy, as well as beer, including cider and flavoured malt beverages. The company also provides Canadian, Irish, American, and Indian-Made Foreign Liquor whiskies, as well as ready to drink and non-alcoholic products.