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

Wrapmanager Inc. lessened its stake in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 31.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,827 shares of the company’s stock after selling 838 shares during the quarter. Wrapmanager Inc.’s holdings in Diageo were worth $232,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Canoe Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Diageo by 88,407.3% in the fourth quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 8,113,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,031,465,000 after purchasing an additional 8,104,301 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in Diageo by 9.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,242,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $735,671,000 after acquiring an additional 437,646 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Diageo by 13.4% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,254,393 shares of the company’s stock worth $176,042,000 after acquiring an additional 147,920 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC grew its position in Diageo by 30.5% in the third quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 1,215,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $170,623,000 after acquiring an additional 284,046 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Diageo by 25.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,116,994 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,759,000 after acquiring an additional 229,946 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on DEO. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $129.00.

Diageo Trading Down 0.2 %

DEO opened at $110.07 on Wednesday. Diageo plc has a 52 week low of $105.72 and a 52 week high of $154.71. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $118.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $125.33. The firm has a market cap of $61.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given 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 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.