Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Short Interest Update

Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,270,000 shares, a growth of 38.4% from the August 15th total of 917,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 841,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Diageo

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado raised its position in Diageo by 4,665.2% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 482,713 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,312,000 after acquiring an additional 472,583 shares during the period. Beacon Financial Group purchased a new position in Diageo during the fourth quarter valued at $296,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Diageo by 56.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 677,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,681,000 after purchasing an additional 245,255 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Diageo by 16.4% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,069,000 after buying an additional 1,011 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in shares of Diageo by 461.4% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 70,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,506,000 after buying an additional 58,048 shares in the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DEO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Diageo from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Citigroup upgraded Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Bank of America raised Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold”.

Diageo Price Performance

Shares of DEO traded down $0.07 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $132.04. The company had a trading volume of 261,893 shares, compared to its average volume of 780,866. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $128.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $135.86. Diageo has a 52-week low of $119.48 and a 52-week high of $161.64. 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 Announces Dividend

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

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.