Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC Sells 900 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 29.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,200 shares of the company’s stock after selling 900 shares during the quarter. Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in Diageo were worth $280,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DEO. Canoe Financial LP raised its position in shares of Diageo by 88,407.3% in the 4th quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 8,113,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,031,465,000 after acquiring an additional 8,104,301 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Diageo by 105.7% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 949,411 shares of the company’s stock worth $133,240,000 after acquiring an additional 487,904 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Diageo by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,242,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $735,671,000 after acquiring an additional 437,646 shares in the last quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA bought a new position in shares of Diageo in the 4th quarter worth $37,777,000. Finally, Confluence Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Diageo by 30.5% in the 3rd quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 1,215,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $170,623,000 after acquiring an additional 284,046 shares in the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Diageo Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of DEO stock opened at $110.54 on Monday. Diageo plc has a 1-year low of $105.72 and a 1-year high of $154.71. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $119.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $125.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a market cap of $61.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.66.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a yield of 3.8%. Diageo’s payout ratio is presently 73.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DEO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Diageo has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $129.00.

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.