Diageo plc $DEO Shares Sold by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC reduced its stake in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 97.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,294 shares of the company’s stock after selling 99,684 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Diageo were worth $240,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of DEO. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Diageo in the 1st quarter valued at about $340,000. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its position in Diageo by 91.4% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 735 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares in the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in Diageo during the first quarter worth approximately $173,000. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. boosted its position in Diageo by 14.9% during the first quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. now owns 4,002 shares of the company’s stock worth $419,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in Diageo by 5.4% during the first quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 31,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,319,000 after purchasing an additional 1,615 shares in the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Diageo in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Diageo presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $129.00.

Diageo Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Diageo stock opened at $109.75 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.06 billion, a PE ratio of 16.02, a P/E/G ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.59. Diageo plc has a twelve month low of $96.45 and a twelve month high of $142.73. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $106.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

Diageo Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 4th. Investors of record on Friday, October 17th will be paid a $2.5192 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 17th. This represents a yield of 370.0%. This is a boost from Diageo’s previous semi-annual dividend of $1.62. Diageo’s dividend payout ratio is 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.