Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Sells 182 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 2.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,863 shares of the company’s stock after selling 182 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Diageo were worth $865,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Diageo by 20.2% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Diageo by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,632 shares of the company’s stock worth $529,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Diageo in the fourth quarter valued at about $526,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Diageo by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,174 shares of the company’s stock worth $899,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Diageo by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 856,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,817,000 after buying an additional 14,789 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Diageo Price Performance

DEO stock opened at $127.51 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $70.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.51, a PEG ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $128.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $136.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.53. Diageo plc has a 52-week low of $119.48 and a 52-week high of $161.64.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. Diageo’s payout ratio is presently 72.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on DEO. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Diageo from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold”.

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.