178,105 Shares in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Bought by Mediolanum International Funds Ltd

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 178,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,995,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of DEO. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in Diageo by 1,034.5% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 799,652 shares of the company’s stock valued at $104,443,000 after purchasing an additional 729,166 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in Diageo by 416.0% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 521,920 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,939,000 after purchasing an additional 420,778 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in Diageo by 52.3% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 853,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,800,000 after purchasing an additional 293,017 shares during the last quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH raised its stake in shares of Diageo by 12,174.6% in the second quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 246,229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,045,000 after acquiring an additional 244,223 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Diageo by 7.0% in the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,351,654 shares of the company’s stock valued at $349,785,000 after acquiring an additional 154,497 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DEO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Diageo from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Bank of America raised shares of Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Diageo currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Diageo Stock Up 0.1 %

Diageo stock traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $134.59. 68,677 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 757,708. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.53. Diageo plc has a 12 month low of $119.48 and a 12 month high of $161.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $133.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $133.62. The company has a market cap of $74.81 billion, a PE ratio of 19.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.69.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

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