Flputnam Investment Management Co. Sells 252 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Flputnam Investment Management Co. cut its stake in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 10.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,245 shares of the company’s stock after selling 252 shares during the quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Diageo were worth $285,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT increased its stake in Diageo by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT now owns 3,383 shares of the company’s stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Diageo by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 1,864 shares of the company’s stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its stake in Diageo by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 1,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Malaga Cove Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Diageo by 3.4% during the third quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC now owns 3,001 shares of the company’s stock worth $421,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its stake in Diageo by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,286 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Diageo Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE:DEO opened at $109.10 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $60.69 billion, a PE ratio of 15.93, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.66. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $117.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $124.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.60. Diageo plc has a 52-week low of $105.72 and a 52-week high of $151.76.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.8%. Diageo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. TD Cowen raised their price target on Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average 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.