Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $116.50.

A number of analysts have issued reports on DEO shares. Argus raised Diageo to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. BNP Paribas Exane raised Diageo from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, HSBC lowered Diageo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd.

Diageo Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:DEO opened at $80.53 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $80.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $85.53. 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 has a 12-month low of $72.45 and a 12-month high of $116.41.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th were paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 195.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 17th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Diageo

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Diageo by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,913,707 shares of the company’s stock valued at $216,925,000 after purchasing an additional 103,531 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in shares of Diageo by 428.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 2,173,047 shares of the company’s stock valued at $187,469,000 after purchasing an additional 1,762,027 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in shares of Diageo by 32.4% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,947,245 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,989,000 after purchasing an additional 476,979 shares in the last quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Diageo by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 1,737,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $149,881,000 after purchasing an additional 191,216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Diageo by 48.5% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,701,878 shares of the company’s stock valued at $162,410,000 after purchasing an additional 555,509 shares in the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.