Is Now The Time To Buy Diageo?

I'm always searching for shares that can help ordinary investors like you make money from the stock market.

So right now I am trawling through the FTSE 100 (UKX) and giving my verdict on every member of the blue-chip index. Simply put, I'm hoping to pinpoint the very best buying opportunities in today's uncertain market.

Today I am looking at Diageo (LSE: DGE) (NYSE: DEO.US) to determine whether you should consider buying the shares at 1,790 p.

I am assessing each company on several ratios:

Price/Earnings (P/E): Does the share look good value when compared against its competitors?

Price Earnings Growth (PEG): Does the share look good value factoring in predicted growth?

Yield: Does the share provide a solid income for investors?

Dividend Cover: Is the dividend sustainable?

So let's look at the numbers:

The consensus analyst estimate for next year's earnings per share is 103p (10% growth) and dividend per share is 48p (10% growth).

Trading on a projected P/E of 17.6, Diageo appears cheaper than its peers in the Beverages sector, which are currently trading on an average P/E of around 23.8. Unfortunately, Diageo's P/E and double-digit near-term growth rate give a PEG ratio of around 1.8, which implies the share price is overpriced for the near-term earnings growth the firm is expected to produce.

Diageo offers a 2.4% yield, which is around the same as the Beverages sector average. However, Diageo has a three-year compounded dividend growth rate of 14%, implying the payout could soon overtake that of its peers.

Indeed, the dividend is more than two times covered, giving Diageo plenty room for further payout growth.

Strong historic growth but is this sustainable?

Despite Diageo's strong historic growth, I cannot see any signs of the company slowing down. You see, although Diageo has reported slowing sales demand within Europe and the US, the company has experienced increasing sales on all other continents. Indeed, in this year alone, sales in Africa grew 11% following 9% growth last year.

In addition, the majority of Diageo's growth during the past few years has been driven through acquisitions. For instance, in November, Diageo became a 53% shareholder in United Spirits -- India's largest drinks company.

Unfortunately, Diageo is currently having some bad luck with its acquisitions. In particular, I have discovered that Diageo's investment in United Spirits is being stalled by regulations within India. In addition, Diageo's attempt earlier this year to buy Mexican tequila specialist Jose Cuervo failed and a 25-year-old distribution agreement between the two companies broke down as a result.

Nonetheless, the company is also focused on organic growth. Indeed, Diageo has announced this year a £1 billion investment to increase its production of Scottish Whisky -- a market Diageo believes will grow 50% over the next 10 years.

So overall, based on Diageo's prospects for future growth and its current discount to its sector peers, I believe now looks to be a good time to buy Diageo at 1,790p.

More FTSE opportunities

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In the meantime, please stay tuned for my next verdict on a FTSE 100 share.