Sepio Capital LP Sells 940 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Sepio Capital LP reduced its stake in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 18,624 shares of the company’s stock after selling 940 shares during the quarter. Sepio Capital LP’s holdings in Diageo were worth $2,368,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Canoe Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Diageo by 88,407.3% during the fourth quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 8,113,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,031,465,000 after buying an additional 8,104,301 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Diageo by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,220,534 shares of the company’s stock worth $155,167,000 after acquiring an additional 103,540 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Diageo by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,132,046 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,917,000 after acquiring an additional 140,587 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Diageo by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,114,467 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,682,000 after purchasing an additional 58,206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Diageo in the fourth quarter worth $123,892,000. 8.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Diageo Trading Down 3.5 %

Shares of NYSE:DEO opened at $104.19 on Friday. Diageo plc has a 52-week low of $103.70 and a 52-week high of $144.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.60. The company has a market capitalization of $57.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $110.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $120.97.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.8%. Diageo’s payout ratio is 46.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group raised Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Berenberg Bank started coverage on Diageo in a research report on Wednesday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently 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.