Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Sells 2,565 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lowered its holdings in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 16.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,884 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,565 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Diageo were worth $1,638,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Canoe Financial LP increased its holdings in Diageo by 88,407.3% during the fourth quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 8,113,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,031,465,000 after buying an additional 8,104,301 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its position in Diageo by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,242,065 shares of the company’s stock valued at $735,671,000 after acquiring an additional 437,646 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Diageo by 13.4% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,254,393 shares of the company’s stock valued at $176,042,000 after acquiring an additional 147,920 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Diageo by 25.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,116,994 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,759,000 after acquiring an additional 229,946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Diageo by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 991,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $139,141,000 after purchasing an additional 64,367 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DEO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group raised Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $129.00.

Diageo Stock Up 1.4 %

DEO stock opened at $109.16 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.72 billion, a PE ratio of 15.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.65. Diageo plc has a 52 week low of $105.72 and a 52 week high of $149.44. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $113.93 and a 200 day moving average of $123.28.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The business 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 dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Diageo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.42%.

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.