Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Shares Sold by Avantax Advisory Services Inc.

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 16.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,884 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,565 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Diageo were worth $1,638,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DEO. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT lifted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT now owns 3,383 shares of the company’s stock worth $430,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC raised its position in Diageo by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 1,864 shares of the company’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co lifted its stake in Diageo by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 1,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Diageo by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,286 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Diageo by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,735 shares of the company’s stock valued at $475,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Diageo Price Performance

Shares of DEO opened at $109.16 on Tuesday. 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 firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $113.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $123.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.94, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.65. Diageo plc has a twelve month low of $105.72 and a twelve month high of $149.44.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Diageo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.