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

Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $116.50.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on DEO shares. Argus upgraded Diageo to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. HSBC lowered Diageo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded Diageo from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Diageo from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Monday, April 20th.

Institutional Trading of Diageo

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Integrated Advisors Network LLC raised its stake in Diageo by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 3,110 shares of the company’s stock valued at $297,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Glenview Trust Co raised its stake in Diageo by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Glenview Trust Co now owns 2,928 shares of the company’s stock valued at $253,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. raised its stake in shares of Diageo by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. now owns 5,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $542,000 after buying an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP raised its stake in shares of Diageo by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 2,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $258,000 after buying an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wynn Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Diageo by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 4,994 shares of the company’s stock worth $431,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Diageo Stock Performance

NYSE:DEO opened at $81.73 on Friday. Diageo has a 12-month low of $72.45 and a 12-month high of $116.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 1.60. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $78.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $86.67.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. This represents a yield of 195.0%.

Diageo Company Profile

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.