U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Diageo plc $DEO

Key Points

• U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Diageo by 84.9% in Q4, selling 79,339 shares and retaining 14,157 shares valued at about $1.22 million.
• Diageo announced a $0.80 dividend payable June 4 to investors of record on April 17 (ex-dividend April 17); the article reports this represents a 207.0% yield.
• Analysts are mixed but the consensus is an average rating of "Hold" with an average target price of $116.50, while the stock recently traded around $80.52 and sits below its 50- and 200-day moving averages.

U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO - Free Report) by 84.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,157 shares of the company's stock after selling 79,339 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Diageo were worth $1,221,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DEO. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Diageo during the 4th quarter worth about $202,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Diageo by 17.0% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,952 shares of the company's stock worth $399,000 after purchasing an additional 574 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Diageo by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 212,004 shares of the company's stock worth $21,379,000 after purchasing an additional 10,653 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Diageo by 87.3% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,234 shares of the company's stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in Diageo during the second quarter worth approximately $444,000. 8.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Diageo Trading Up 1.6%

NYSE DEO opened at $80.52 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 1.60. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $84.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $88.87. Diageo plc has a 1-year low of $72.45 and a 1-year high of $116.69.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a yield of 207.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on DEO shares. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $124.00 price objective on Diageo and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Argus raised shares of Diageo to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Diageo from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. HSBC cut shares of Diageo from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Diageo from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Diageo currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $116.50.

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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