Diageo plc $DEO Position Lowered by Anchor Capital Advisors LLC

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 14.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 77,472 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,674 shares during the period. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Diageo were worth $6,684,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Spire Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Diageo by 123.6% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 322 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in Diageo by 8,000.0% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Diageo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX bought a new stake in shares of Diageo in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, GGM Financials LLC acquired a new position in shares of Diageo during the third quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Diageo Stock Performance

Shares of DEO stock opened at $79.42 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $79.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $85.97. Diageo plc has a fifty-two week low of $72.45 and a fifty-two week high of $116.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53.

Diageo Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.