Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Shares Sold by Prio Wealth Limited Partnership

Prio Wealth Limited Partnership trimmed its stake in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 19.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,569 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,333 shares during the quarter. Prio Wealth Limited Partnership’s holdings in Diageo were worth $4,992,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DEO. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Diageo during the 1st quarter worth approximately $65,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 124.9% in the 1st quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 12,048 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,792,000 after buying an additional 6,691 shares during the period. &PARTNERS acquired a new stake in shares of Diageo in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $259,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 23.8% in the 1st quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 1,174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $177,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the period. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 21.4% in the 1st quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 6,171 shares of the company’s stock valued at $918,000 after buying an additional 1,089 shares during the period. 8.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on DEO. Royal Bank of Canada raised Diageo from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Citigroup raised Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Bank of America raised Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Diageo Price Performance

NYSE DEO traded down $1.97 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $137.44. The stock had a trading volume of 82,464 shares, compared to its average volume of 764,058. Diageo plc has a 52-week low of $119.48 and a 52-week high of $161.64. The company has a market cap of $76.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $133.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $133.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $1.62 dividend. This represents a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Diageo’s payout ratio is currently 71.37%.

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.