Stephens Inc. AR Cuts Stock Position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Stephens Inc. AR lessened its holdings in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO – Get Rating) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,114 shares of the company’s stock after selling 478 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Diageo were worth $1,446,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Diageo in the 4th quarter worth $462,000. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc now owns 12,547 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,028,100,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. AFS Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Diageo during the 4th quarter valued at about $365,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 7,115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,268,000 after purchasing an additional 879 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intelligent Financial Strategies boosted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. Intelligent Financial Strategies now owns 4,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $884,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DEO has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Diageo from GBX 3,900 ($47.53) to GBX 3,600 ($43.88) in a report on Tuesday, January 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Diageo from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Diageo from GBX 3,160 ($38.51) to GBX 2,750 ($33.52) in a report on Thursday, January 12th. UBS Group downgraded shares of Diageo from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Diageo from GBX 4,350 ($53.02) to GBX 4,500 ($54.84) in a report on Thursday, December 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $4,081.00.

Diageo Stock Down 1.6 %

DEO traded down $2.77 on Friday, reaching $171.86. The stock had a trading volume of 335,265 shares, compared to its average volume of 485,154. Diageo plc has a 12-month low of $160.09 and a 12-month high of $212.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $176.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $175.52.

Diageo Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.5187 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 2nd. This represents a dividend yield of 2.06%. This is a boost from Diageo’s previous semi-annual dividend of $1.43.

Diageo Company Profile

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Diageo Plc engages in the production and distribution of alcoholic beverages. Its brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, JeB, Buchanan’s, Windsor and Bushmills whiskies, Smirnoff, Ciroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray, and Guinness. It operates through the following geographical segments: North America; Europe and Turkey; Africa; Latin America and Caribbean; Asia Pacific; ISC; and Corporate and Other.