Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $116.50.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Diageo from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $124.00 price objective on Diageo and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research downgraded Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Diageo in a report on Friday, November 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st.

Diageo Stock Performance

Shares of DEO stock opened at $88.64 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $88.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $96.81. Diageo has a 52 week low of $84.52 and a 52 week high of $122.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in Diageo by 48.5% during the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,701,878 shares of the company’s stock worth $162,410,000 after acquiring an additional 555,509 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 72,871.7% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,568,162 shares of the company’s stock worth $158,133,000 after purchasing an additional 1,566,013 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Diageo by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,547,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $147,690,000 after purchasing an additional 121,008 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Diageo by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 1,363,504 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,119,000 after purchasing an additional 12,678 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Diageo by 67.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,309,258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,943,000 after buying an additional 527,814 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

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.