Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Short Interest Up 43.1% in December

Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,880,062 shares, a growth of 43.1% from the December 15th total of 2,012,433 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,462,814 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the company are sold short. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,462,814 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days.

Institutional Trading of Diageo

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Perigon Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Diageo by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in Diageo by 896.1% during the fourth quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 97,760 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,434,000 after buying an additional 87,946 shares during the period. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Diageo by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $466,000 after acquiring an additional 969 shares during the last quarter. Shrier Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Diageo in the fourth quarter valued at $821,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 6,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $550,000 after acquiring an additional 1,507 shares during the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Diageo Stock Performance

Shares of DEO stock traded down $0.81 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $88.54. The stock had a trading volume of 1,464,715 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,614,818. 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 has a one year low of $84.52 and a one year high of $125.94. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $89.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $97.68.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on DEO. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Diageo in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Diageo from $117.00 to $109.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus 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.