Short Interest in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Drops By 25.4%

Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in the month of May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 567,200 shares, a decrease of 25.4% from the May 15th total of 760,500 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,020,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.6 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on DEO. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Diageo in a report on Monday, May 12th. Berenberg Bank started coverage on Diageo in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Diageo from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $129.00.

Diageo Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:DEO opened at $102.31 on Wednesday. Diageo has a 12-month low of $100.72 and a 12-month high of $142.73. The business has a 50 day moving average of $110.26 and a 200-day moving average of $113.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The stock has a market cap of $56.92 billion, a PE ratio of 14.94 and a beta of 0.58.

Institutional Trading of Diageo

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Diageo by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 1,864 shares of the company's stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Diageo by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,582 shares of the company's stock valued at $271,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in Diageo by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,450 shares of the company's stock valued at $571,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its position in Diageo by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 6,944 shares of the company's stock worth $883,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Finally, Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Diageo by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,867 shares of the company's stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 8.97% of the company's stock.

About Diageo

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.

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