Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Shares Sold by Financial Counselors Inc.

Financial Counselors Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 42.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,720 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,259 shares during the quarter. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Diageo were worth $219,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in DEO. Canoe Financial LP boosted its position in Diageo by 88,407.3% during the 4th quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 8,113,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,031,465,000 after purchasing an additional 8,104,301 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Diageo during the fourth quarter worth about $123,892,000. ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new stake in shares of Diageo in the fourth quarter worth about $37,777,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 229,946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Diageo by 3,073.4% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 209,510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,635,000 after buying an additional 202,908 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Diageo Stock Performance

Diageo stock opened at $105.25 on Friday. 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 has a 50 day moving average of $111.55 and a 200-day moving average of $121.90. The stock has a market cap of $58.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.65. Diageo plc has a 52 week low of $104.80 and a 52 week high of $149.24.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 is Friday, February 28th. Diageo’s dividend payout ratio 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.