Fayez Sarofim & Co Sells 13,866 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Fayez Sarofim & Co lessened its stake in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO - Free Report) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 715,380 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,866 shares during the quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co owned about 0.13% of Diageo worth $90,946,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Diageo during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Eastern Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 107.8% during the 4th quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 241 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Diageo in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Diageo in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Diageo during the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Diageo Trading Down 0.8 %

Diageo stock traded down $0.90 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $110.73. The stock had a trading volume of 880,095 shares, compared to its average volume of 931,134. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $108.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $117.82. The stock has a market cap of $61.60 billion, a PE ratio of 16.16, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 0.67. Diageo plc has a 52 week low of $100.72 and a 52 week high of $144.27.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $1.62 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Diageo's payout ratio is presently 46.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DEO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Diageo from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Berenberg Bank initiated coverage on shares of Diageo in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $129.00.

Diageo Profile

Diageo plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production, marketing, and sale of alcoholic beverages. The company offers scotch, gin, vodka, rum, raki, liqueur, wine, tequila, Chinese white spirits, cachaça, and brandy, as well as beer, including cider and flavored malt beverages. It also provides Chinese, Canadian, Irish, American, and Indian-Made Foreign Liquor whiskies, as well as flavored malt beverages, ready to drink, and non-alcoholic products.