Diageo plc $DEO Holdings Raised by ABC Arbitrage SA

ABC Arbitrage SA raised its position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 33.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 560,383 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 141,301 shares during the period. Diageo makes up about 4.5% of ABC Arbitrage SA’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. ABC Arbitrage SA’s holdings in Diageo were worth $48,344,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in Diageo during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in Diageo by 17.0% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,952 shares of the company’s stock worth $399,000 after acquiring an additional 574 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Diageo by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 212,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,379,000 after purchasing an additional 10,653 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Diageo by 87.3% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,234 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Diageo during the second quarter worth about $444,000. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Diageo from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Zacks Research upgraded Diageo from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Argus upgraded shares of Diageo to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Diageo in a report on Monday, April 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.50.

Diageo Stock Down 2.9%

Diageo stock opened at $81.90 on Tuesday. Diageo plc has a 52-week low of $72.45 and a 52-week high of $116.41. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $78.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $87.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

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

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.