Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Shares Sold by First American Bank

First American Bank trimmed its position in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 10.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 15,826 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,892 shares during the period. First American Bank’s holdings in Diageo were worth $2,221,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Diageo by 16.4% in the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,069,000 after acquiring an additional 1,011 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Diageo by 461.4% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 70,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,506,000 after acquiring an additional 58,048 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Diageo by 2,128.6% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 9,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,412,000 after acquiring an additional 9,068 shares during the period. American National Bank & Trust Co. VA acquired a new stake in shares of Diageo in the 1st quarter worth approximately $4,432,000. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Diageo by 346.5% in the 1st quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 25,524 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,796,000 after acquiring an additional 19,808 shares during the period. 8.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Diageo Stock Down 0.9 %

DEO stock opened at $133.27 on Monday. Diageo plc has a 52-week low of $119.48 and a 52-week high of $161.64. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $134.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $133.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.69.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.2%. Diageo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.51%.

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.