Proficio Capital Partners LLC Buys 202,908 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 3,073.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 209,510 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 202,908 shares during the quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Diageo were worth $26,635,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Diageo by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 156,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,914,000 after acquiring an additional 1,809 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Diageo in the 4th quarter valued at $51,000. DMKC Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Diageo in the 4th quarter valued at $2,104,000. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in Diageo by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 6,594 shares of the company’s stock valued at $838,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Diageo by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $399,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Diageo has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $129.00.

Diageo Stock Up 0.2 %

Diageo stock opened at $108.83 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.54 billion, a PE ratio of 15.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s 50-day moving average is $117.39 and its 200-day moving average is $125.00. Diageo plc has a fifty-two week low of $105.72 and a fifty-two week high of $151.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.8%. Diageo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.42%.

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.