Diageo (NYSE:DEO) Stock Rating Upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Diageo (NYSE:DEO) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

DEO has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Bank of America upgraded shares of Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Royal Bank of Canada raised Diageo from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold”.

Diageo Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DEO opened at $122.99 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $68.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.69. Diageo has a 1-year low of $117.72 and a 1-year high of $154.71. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $127.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $129.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Diageo

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DEO. Logan Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Diageo by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,212,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. grew its position in shares of Diageo by 12.4% during the third quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 18,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,553,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Diageo by 33.0% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 12,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,736,000 after purchasing an additional 3,068 shares during the last quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC boosted its stake in Diageo by 23.7% during the third quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 16,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,341,000 after buying an additional 3,193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in Diageo by 550.1% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 10,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,478,000 after buying an additional 8,912 shares during the last quarter. 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.