Sapient Capital LLC Has $1.35 Million Position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Sapient Capital LLC lowered its stake in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 7.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 8,960 shares of the company’s stock after selling 695 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Diageo were worth $1,347,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in Diageo in the third quarter worth about $263,000. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in Diageo by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 41,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,090,000 after purchasing an additional 2,400 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. raised its position in Diageo by 51.0% in the third quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. now owns 8,723 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,301,000 after purchasing an additional 2,946 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Diageo by 8.2% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 432,223 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,479,000 after purchasing an additional 32,928 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockline Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Diageo in the fourth quarter worth about $1,142,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Diageo Price Performance

Diageo stock traded down $1.06 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $138.18. 1,264,346 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 805,534. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 1.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.51, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.66. Diageo plc has a 12 month low of $135.63 and a 12 month high of $188.23. The business’s 50-day moving average is $145.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $145.86.

Diageo Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a yield of 2.7%. Diageo’s dividend payout ratio is 40.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DEO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Argus lowered shares of Diageo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Diageo from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $3,797.50.

About Diageo

Diageo plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production, marketing, and sale of alcoholic beverages. It offers scotch, gin, vodka, rum, raki, liqueur, wine, tequila, Chinese white spirits, cachaça, and brandy, as well as beer, including cider and flavoured malt beverages. The company also provides Canadian, Irish, American, and Indian-Made Foreign Liquor whiskies, as well as ready to drink and non-alcoholic products.