Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Shares Sold by Blair William & Co. IL

Blair William & Co. IL lowered its stake in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 42,876 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,536 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Diageo were worth $5,451,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on DEO shares. UBS Group upgraded Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $129.00.

Diageo Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of Diageo stock opened at $105.25 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $111.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $121.85. Diageo plc has a fifty-two week low of $104.31 and a fifty-two week high of $149.24. The firm has a market cap of $58.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.65.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

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