Diageo plc $DEO Shares Sold by Coleford Investment Management Ltd.

Coleford Investment Management Ltd. reduced its position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 53.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,107 shares of the company’s stock after selling 37,546 shares during the quarter. Diageo comprises approximately 0.7% of Coleford Investment Management Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Coleford Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Diageo were worth $2,770,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 48.5% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,701,878 shares of the company’s stock valued at $162,410,000 after acquiring an additional 555,509 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 1,371,708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,337,000 after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 0.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,276,576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $121,824,000 after acquiring an additional 4,227 shares during the period. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 236.6% in the second quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 1,157,991 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,772,000 after acquiring an additional 813,973 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 37.9% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 989,839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,460,000 after acquiring an additional 272,099 shares during the period. 8.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Diageo Trading Up 0.2%

Diageo stock opened at $80.42 on Wednesday. Diageo plc has a one year low of $72.45 and a one year high of $116.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The business has a fifty day moving average of $80.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $85.40.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th were issued a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 17th. This represents a yield of 195.0%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DEO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Diageo in a report on Monday, April 20th. Argus raised Diageo to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. BNP Paribas Exane raised Diageo from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Diageo from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Diageo presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $116.50.

Diageo Profile

Diageo plc is a global producer, marketer and distributor of alcoholic beverages, headquartered in London, England. The company was created through the 1997 merger of Guinness plc and Grand Metropolitan plc and is publicly traded on multiple exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: DEO) and the London Stock Exchange. Diageo operates a worldwide business, selling products in a broad range of markets across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Diageo’s core activities cover the production, marketing and sale of a diverse portfolio of spirits, beer and liqueurs.