Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Short Interest Down 15.9% in March

Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) saw a large drop in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 638,200 shares, a drop of 15.9% from the February 28th total of 759,300 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,080,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.6 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on DEO shares. Berenberg Bank initiated coverage on shares of Diageo in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group raised Diageo from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Diageo currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $129.00.

Diageo Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE DEO traded up $1.56 on Thursday, reaching $108.04. The stock had a trading volume of 2,142,401 shares, compared to its average volume of 895,880. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $110.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $121.35. Diageo has a 12-month low of $103.70 and a 12-month high of $148.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.65.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $1.62 dividend. This represents a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Diageo’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.42%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DEO. CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Diageo in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Diageo in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Eastern Bank boosted its stake in shares of Diageo by 107.8% in the 4th quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. BNP Paribas purchased a new stake in shares of Diageo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new stake in Diageo in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

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.