Level Four Advisory Services LLC Sells 280 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Level Four Advisory Services LLC lowered its stake in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 14.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,652 shares of the company’s stock after selling 280 shares during the period. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Diageo were worth $210,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Canoe Financial LP raised its position in Diageo by 88,407.3% in the 4th quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 8,113,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,031,465,000 after buying an additional 8,104,301 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Diageo in the 4th quarter worth $123,892,000. ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new stake in shares of Diageo in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,777,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Diageo by 25.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,116,994 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,759,000 after purchasing an additional 229,946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Diageo by 3,073.4% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 209,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,635,000 after purchasing an additional 202,908 shares during the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Diageo Stock Performance

NYSE:DEO opened at $104.58 on Wednesday. Diageo plc has a 1 year low of $103.70 and a 1 year high of $149.24. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $110.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $121.45. The company has a market capitalization of $58.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.65.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The company 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 $1.62 dividend. This represents a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Diageo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DEO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group raised Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. One investment 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Diageo presently 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.