Westhampton Capital LLC Sells 515 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Westhampton Capital LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 4.1% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 12,027 shares of the company’s stock after selling 515 shares during the quarter. Westhampton Capital LLC’s holdings in Diageo were worth $1,688,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DEO. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Diageo in the second quarter valued at $25,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Diageo in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Concord Wealth Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Diageo in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Beacon Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Diageo by 777.3% during the first quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 193 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Diageo by 1,395.0% in the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 299 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 279 shares during the period. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Diageo Stock Down 0.3 %

DEO stock opened at $136.71 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.53. Diageo plc has a fifty-two week low of $119.48 and a fifty-two week high of $161.64. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $133.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $133.61. The company has a market cap of $75.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.69.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a $1.62 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Diageo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.37%.

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.