Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Shares Sold by Washington Trust Advisors Inc.

Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lowered its position in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 28,583 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,833 shares during the quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Diageo were worth $3,634,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT raised its holdings in shares of Diageo by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT now owns 3,383 shares of the company’s stock valued at $430,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Diageo by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 1,864 shares of the company’s stock valued at $237,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Diageo by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 1,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $236,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Diageo by 3.4% during the third quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC now owns 3,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $421,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Diageo by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,286 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group raised Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $129.00.

Diageo Trading Up 5.4 %

Shares of Diageo stock opened at $114.12 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.66, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.65. Diageo plc has a fifty-two week low of $105.72 and a fifty-two week high of $151.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.60. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $116.44 and a 200 day moving average of $124.59.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a yield of 3.8%. Diageo’s 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.