Diageo plc $DEO Shares Sold by Sanctuary Advisors LLC

Sanctuary Advisors LLC lowered its position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO - Free Report) by 32.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 44,357 shares of the company's stock after selling 21,215 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC's holdings in Diageo were worth $3,827,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky acquired a new position in shares of Diageo in the fourth quarter worth about $2,237,000. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Diageo by 51.8% in the fourth quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 24,337 shares of the company's stock worth $2,100,000 after acquiring an additional 8,305 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Diageo by 191.7% in the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 6,262 shares of the company's stock worth $540,000 after acquiring an additional 4,115 shares during the period. Absher Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Diageo by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Absher Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,073 shares of the company's stock worth $524,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Diageo by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 8,813 shares of the company's stock worth $760,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Diageo from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Diageo from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Argus raised shares of Diageo to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, HSBC cut shares of Diageo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $116.50.

Diageo Stock Performance

DEO stock opened at $80.64 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $79.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $87.66. 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 plc has a 52 week low of $72.45 and a 52 week high of $116.69.

Diageo Announces Dividend

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

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.

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