Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. Sells 32,863 Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. decreased its holdings in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO - Free Report) by 64.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,292 shares of the company's stock after selling 32,863 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.'s holdings in Diageo were worth $2,345,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Canoe Financial LP increased its holdings in Diageo by 88,407.3% in the 4th quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 8,113,468 shares of the company's stock worth $1,031,465,000 after buying an additional 8,104,301 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,813,938 shares of the company's stock valued at $739,126,000 after acquiring an additional 571,873 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can grew its stake in shares of Diageo by 1,181.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,406,004 shares of the company's stock worth $178,745,000 after acquiring an additional 1,296,285 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Diageo by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,220,534 shares of the company's stock worth $155,167,000 after acquiring an additional 103,540 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Diageo by 14.2% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,132,046 shares of the company's stock valued at $143,917,000 after purchasing an additional 140,587 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.97% of the company's stock.

Diageo Stock Performance

Shares of Diageo stock traded down $1.47 on Wednesday, hitting $110.90. 1,030,780 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 928,714. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.69 billion, a PE ratio of 16.19, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.63. Diageo plc has a 1 year low of $100.72 and a 1 year high of $144.27. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $108.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $118.20.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Diageo's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.42%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on DEO. Berenberg Bank assumed coverage on shares of Diageo in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Diageo from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Diageo from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $129.00.

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.