Monaco Asset Management SAM Makes New $15.05 Million Investment in Diageo plc $DEO

Monaco Asset Management SAM purchased a new position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 174,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,054,000. Diageo accounts for about 2.6% of Monaco Asset Management SAM’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of DEO. Equity Investment Corp bought a new stake in shares of Diageo during the 3rd quarter valued at $92,970,000. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd raised its position in shares of Diageo by 236.6% during the 2nd quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 1,157,991 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,772,000 after purchasing an additional 813,973 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Diageo by 48.5% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,701,878 shares of the company’s stock valued at $162,410,000 after purchasing an additional 555,509 shares during the period. Cullen Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Diageo by 67.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,309,258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,943,000 after purchasing an additional 527,814 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of Diageo by 2,282.6% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 438,237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,303,000 after purchasing an additional 419,844 shares during the period. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Diageo Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE DEO opened at $82.61 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $79.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $86.10. Diageo plc has a 52-week low of $72.45 and a 52-week high of $116.41.

Diageo Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 195.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on DEO shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Diageo in a research report on Monday, April 20th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Diageo from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Argus upgraded shares of Diageo to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, HSBC downgraded shares of Diageo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Diageo currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $116.50.

About Diageo

Diageo plc is a global producer, marketer and distributor of alcoholic beverages, headquartered in London, England. The company was created through the 1997 merger of Guinness plc and Grand Metropolitan plc and is publicly traded on multiple exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: DEO) and the London Stock Exchange. Diageo operates a worldwide business, selling products in a broad range of markets across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Diageo’s core activities cover the production, marketing and sale of a diverse portfolio of spirits, beer and liqueurs.