Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $106.25.

DEO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Loop Capital set a $99.00 price objective on shares of Diageo in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Diageo in a report on Monday, August 10th. Zacks Research raised Diageo from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Diageo in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Diageo in a research report on Friday, July 17th.

Institutional Trading of Diageo

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 12.0% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 463,572 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,513,000 after purchasing an additional 49,504 shares in the last quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Diageo by 14.5% during the first quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. now owns 169,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,588,000 after buying an additional 21,446 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its holdings in shares of Diageo by 10.2% during the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 186,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,861,000 after buying an additional 17,241 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Diageo by 53.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,372,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $102,124,000 after buying an additional 477,999 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in Diageo by 9.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 160,477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,948,000 after buying an additional 13,928 shares during the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Diageo Price Performance

DEO opened at $86.66 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $89.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $83.25. Diageo has a twelve month low of $72.45 and a twelve month high of $102.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, October 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a yield of 252.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th.

About Diageo

Diageo plc (NYSE: DEO) is a global beverage alcohol company headquartered in London, England. It produces, markets and distributes a broad portfolio of spirits, beer and ready-to-drink beverages, serving consumers in more than 180 countries.

Its portfolio includes brands such as Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Smirnoff, Cîroc, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Tanqueray, Don Julio, Casamigos, Guinness and Bulleit. The company’s business activities span distilling, brewing, brand development, marketing, sales and distribution across multiple alcohol categories and geographic markets.

Diageo was formed in 1997 through the merger of Grand Metropolitan and Guinness.