Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI Acquires 1,761 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI increased its holdings in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 45,292 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,761 shares during the period. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s holdings in Diageo were worth $6,356,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in DEO. Beacon Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Diageo by 777.3% in the first quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 193 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Diageo during the second quarter worth $25,000. Concord Wealth Partners acquired a new position in Diageo during the first quarter worth $29,000. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Diageo in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Diageo by 1,395.0% during the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Diageo Price Performance

DEO opened at $139.41 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $77.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.86, a PEG ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.53. Diageo plc has a fifty-two week low of $119.48 and a fifty-two week high of $161.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $133.30 and a 200 day moving average of $133.83.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.2%. Diageo’s payout ratio is currently 71.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Bank of America raised Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Diageo from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold”.

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.