Farringdon Capital Ltd. Acquires New Shares in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Farringdon Capital Ltd. bought a new position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 1,961 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $249,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of DEO. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in Diageo during the 3rd quarter valued at about $95,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its position in Diageo by 71.7% in the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 1,533 shares of the company’s stock worth $215,000 after purchasing an additional 640 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Diageo during the 3rd quarter valued at $5,510,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in shares of Diageo by 550.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 10,532 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,478,000 after buying an additional 8,912 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optimist Retirement Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Diageo by 23.7% in the third quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 16,681 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,341,000 after acquiring an additional 3,193 shares during the period. 8.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Berenberg Bank initiated coverage on shares of Diageo in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $129.00.

Diageo Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DEO opened at $109.39 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $107.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $118.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $60.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.63. Diageo plc has a 1-year low of $100.72 and a 1-year high of $144.27.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

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

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.