Short Interest in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Increases By 38.4%

Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,270,000 shares, a growth of 38.4% from the August 15th total of 917,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 841,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days. Currently, 0.2% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Diageo

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fragasso Group Inc. boosted its stake in Diageo by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Fragasso Group Inc. now owns 2,947 shares of the company’s stock valued at $438,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Avestar Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Diageo by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,754 shares of the company’s stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Diageo by 3.8% during the first quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 2,158 shares of the company’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. increased its stake in Diageo by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 2,587 shares of the company’s stock valued at $326,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PFG Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Diageo by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 2,516 shares of the company’s stock worth $317,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Diageo Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE DEO traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $132.04. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 567,389 shares, compared to its average volume of 782,583. Diageo has a fifty-two week low of $119.48 and a fifty-two week high of $161.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $128.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $135.86.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.2%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on DEO shares. Bank of America raised Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Diageo from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Citigroup upgraded Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Diageo Company 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.