7,350 Diageo plc $DEO Shares Sold by Searle & CO.

Searle & CO. trimmed its holdings in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 67.1% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,600 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,350 shares during the quarter. Searle & CO.’s holdings in Diageo were worth $308,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DEO. Equity Investment Corp raised its holdings in Diageo by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 1,673,224 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,228,000 after acquiring an additional 5,715 shares during the period. DMKC Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Diageo by 8.6% during the third quarter. DMKC Advisory Services LLC now owns 39,739 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,402,000 after acquiring an additional 3,150 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Diageo by 14.7% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 7,730 shares of the company’s stock worth $654,000 after acquiring an additional 990 shares in the last quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Diageo by 11.1% during the third quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 10,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $933,000 after acquiring an additional 1,091 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 15.1% in the third quarter. Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC now owns 8,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $709,000 after acquiring an additional 1,085 shares during the period. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DEO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised Diageo from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Sunday, August 23rd. Barclays reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Diageo in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Monday, August 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Diageo presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $99.75.

Diageo Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DEO opened at $101.49 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $90.36 and a 200 day moving average of $86.20. Diageo plc has a 12 month low of $72.45 and a 12 month high of $102.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th. This represents a yield of 252.0%.

About Diageo

Diageo plc is a global beverage company that produces and markets alcoholic drinks, including spirits, beer and ready-to-drink products. Its portfolio includes brands such as Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, Baileys, Tanqueray and Captain Morgan. The company sells its products in markets around the world through a combination of owned operations, distributors and other commercial partners. Its offerings span categories including Scotch whisky, vodka, gin, rum, tequila, liqueurs and stout. Diageo was formed in 1997 through the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan.