Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Short Interest Down 14.4% in January

Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) saw a large decrease in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 2,464,158 shares, a decrease of 14.4% from the December 31st total of 2,880,062 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,155,558 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.1 days. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,155,558 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.1 days.

Diageo Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of Diageo stock opened at $92.01 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $88.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $96.55. Diageo has a fifty-two week low of $84.52 and a fifty-two week high of $118.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Diageo

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DEO. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Diageo in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its position in shares of Diageo by 3,885.7% during the 3rd quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc grew its stake in Diageo by 94.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 292 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Diageo in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Spire Wealth Management increased its holdings in Diageo by 123.6% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 322 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on DEO shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating on shares of Diageo in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $124.00 price target on Diageo and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.50.

About Diageo

Diageo plc is a global producer, marketer and distributor of alcoholic beverages, headquartered in London, England. The company was created through the 1997 merger of Guinness plc and Grand Metropolitan plc and is publicly traded on multiple exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: DEO) and the London Stock Exchange. Diageo operates a worldwide business, selling products in a broad range of markets across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Diageo’s core activities cover the production, marketing and sale of a diverse portfolio of spirits, beer and liqueurs.