1,617 Shares in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Purchased by King Luther Capital Management Corp

King Luther Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $206,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DEO. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Diageo by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,862 shares of the company’s stock valued at $491,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI increased its holdings in Diageo by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI now owns 45,689 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,808,000 after buying an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. United Community Bank increased its holdings in Diageo by 15.4% in the fourth quarter. United Community Bank now owns 4,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $586,000 after buying an additional 615 shares in the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Diageo by 196.3% during the 4th quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 4,276 shares of the company’s stock valued at $544,000 after acquiring an additional 2,833 shares during the period. Finally, Naviter Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Diageo by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC now owns 12,742 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,620,000 after acquiring an additional 1,198 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on DEO. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group upgraded Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $129.00.

Diageo Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DEO opened at $107.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.60. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $114.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $123.59. The stock has a market cap of $59.83 billion, a PE ratio of 15.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.65. Diageo plc has a one year low of $105.72 and a one year high of $149.44.

Diageo Announces Dividend

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