Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Acquires 443 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 13.9% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,632 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 443 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Diageo were worth $510,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Diageo by 16.4% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,069,000 after buying an additional 1,011 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in Diageo by 461.4% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 70,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,506,000 after purchasing an additional 58,048 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Diageo by 2,128.6% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 9,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,412,000 after purchasing an additional 9,068 shares in the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust Co. VA purchased a new position in shares of Diageo in the first quarter worth $4,432,000. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 346.5% during the first quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 25,524 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,796,000 after purchasing an additional 19,808 shares in the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on DEO shares. Citigroup upgraded Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Diageo Stock Performance

DEO opened at $133.27 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $134.02 and its 200 day moving average is $133.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The company has a market cap of $74.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.98, a PEG ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.69. Diageo plc has a 12-month low of $119.48 and a 12-month high of $161.64.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were given a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a yield of 3.2%. Diageo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 71.51%.

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.