Diageo plc $DEO Shares Sold by Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. decreased its stake in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 54.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 7,665 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,169 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Diageo were worth $661,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DEO. Arlington Trust Co LLC grew its position in Diageo by 3,885.7% during the third quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 279 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 272 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Diageo by 123.6% during 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 period. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Diageo by 8,000.0% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Diageo during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX acquired a new stake in shares of Diageo in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on DEO shares. BNP Paribas Exane raised 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 research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Zacks Research raised shares of 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 report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, HSBC cut shares of Diageo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Diageo presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $116.50.

Diageo Stock Performance

Diageo stock opened at $84.30 on Friday. Diageo plc has a fifty-two week low of $72.45 and a fifty-two week high of $116.41. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $78.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $87.25. 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 business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a yield of 195.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th.

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.