Sapient Capital LLC Has $876,000 Position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Sapient Capital LLC reduced its stake in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 20.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,113 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,610 shares during the quarter. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Diageo were worth $876,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Diageo by 56.7% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 677,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,681,000 after acquiring an additional 245,255 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,011 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 58,048 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 9,068 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American National Bank & Trust Co. VA bought a new position in shares of Diageo in the 1st quarter worth $4,432,000. Institutional investors own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Diageo Stock Performance

NYSE:DEO opened at $135.42 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $132.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $134.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.55. Diageo plc has a fifty-two week low of $119.48 and a fifty-two week high of $161.64.

Diageo Announces Dividend

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

Diageo 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.