Raymond James Trust N.A. Has $1.31 Million Stake in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Raymond James Trust N.A. decreased its position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 8.4% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 10,353 shares of the company’s stock after selling 945 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A.’s holdings in Diageo were worth $1,305,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado grew its position in shares of Diageo by 4,665.2% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 482,713 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,312,000 after purchasing an additional 472,583 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in Diageo by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 14,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,129,000 after buying an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Financial Group acquired a new stake in Diageo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $296,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Diageo by 56.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 677,478 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,681,000 after buying an additional 245,255 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Diageo by 16.4% during 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on DEO. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Citigroup upgraded Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Diageo from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Diageo presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $2,950.00.

Diageo Price Performance

Shares of DEO traded up $2.67 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $135.03. The stock had a trading volume of 888,772 shares, compared to its average volume of 771,727. Diageo plc has a 12 month low of $119.48 and a 12 month high of $171.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.06 billion, a PE ratio of 19.24, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 1.58. The company’s 50-day moving average is $128.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.79.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a $1.62 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Diageo’s payout ratio is 71.37%.

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.