King Luther Capital Management Corp Takes $206,000 Position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

King Luther Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $206,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Diageo during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Eastern Bank raised its holdings in shares of Diageo by 107.8% in the 4th quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Diageo during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Diageo in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Diageo in the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Diageo Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:DEO opened at $107.55 on Friday. Diageo plc has a 1-year low of $105.72 and a 1-year high of $149.44. 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 stock has a market cap of $59.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $114.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $123.59.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Diageo’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DEO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded shares of Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen increased their target price 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $129.00.

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.