Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Purchases New Position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 178,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,995,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Diageo by 16.4% in the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,069,000 after purchasing an additional 1,011 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in shares of 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. grew its holdings in shares of Diageo by 2,128.6% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 9,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,412,000 after purchasing an additional 9,068 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust Co. VA bought a new position in shares of Diageo during the 1st quarter valued at $4,432,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Diageo by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 107,452 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,982,000 after purchasing an additional 6,927 shares during the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on DEO. Bank of America raised shares of Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Citigroup raised shares of Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Diageo from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Diageo has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Diageo Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:DEO traded up $0.15 on Friday, hitting $134.59. The company had a trading volume of 68,677 shares, compared to its average volume of 757,708. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $133.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $133.62. Diageo plc has a 1 year low of $119.48 and a 1 year high of $161.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.69.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.2%. Diageo’s payout ratio is 71.37%.

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.