Diageo plc $DEO Shares Purchased by Hamel Associates Inc.

Hamel Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 205.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,680 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,575 shares during the quarter. Hamel Associates Inc.’s holdings in Diageo were worth $1,871,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DEO. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in Diageo in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in Diageo by 17.0% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,952 shares of the company’s stock valued at $399,000 after acquiring an additional 574 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Diageo by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 212,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,379,000 after acquiring an additional 10,653 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Diageo by 87.3% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,234 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,000 after acquiring an additional 575 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Diageo in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $444,000. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Diageo Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE DEO opened at $79.84 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $80.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $85.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. Diageo plc has a 1 year low of $72.45 and a 1 year high of $116.41.

Diageo Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on DEO. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Diageo from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. HSBC cut Diageo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Zacks Research raised Diageo from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Argus raised Diageo to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Five equities 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.