Financial Counselors Inc. Buys 392 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Financial Counselors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 15.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,979 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 392 shares during the quarter. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Diageo were worth $418,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. PFG Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Diageo by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 2,516 shares of the company’s stock valued at $317,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Diageo by 1.1% during the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 8,146 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,143,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Diageo by 2.8% in the second quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 3,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Diageo by 3.6% in the second quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $327,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 20.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 575 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on DEO. Bank of America upgraded Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Royal Bank of Canada raised Diageo from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Diageo presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Diageo Stock Performance

DEO stock opened at $119.36 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $129.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $130.30. Diageo plc has a fifty-two week low of $117.72 and a fifty-two week high of $154.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.40 billion, a PE ratio of 17.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

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.