Hancock Whitney Corp Grows Stake in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its position in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 29.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,537 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 571 shares during the quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in Diageo were worth $320,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of DEO. 9258 Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Diageo by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,632 shares of the company’s stock worth $529,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in shares of Diageo during the 4th quarter worth $332,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new stake in shares of Diageo during the 4th quarter valued at $2,700,000. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Diageo by 194.8% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 11,681 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,702,000 after purchasing an additional 7,718 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitchell Sinkler & Starr PA raised its holdings in Diageo by 43.4% in the 4th quarter. Mitchell Sinkler & Starr PA now owns 10,479 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,526,000 after purchasing an additional 3,171 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Diageo Price Performance

DEO stock opened at $135.58 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $75.36 billion, a PE ratio of 19.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.69. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $129.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $135.20. Diageo plc has a one year low of $119.48 and a one year high of $161.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.53.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Diageo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.