Diageo plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production, marketing, and distribution of alcoholic beverages in North America, Europe, the Asia Pacific, Latin America and Caribbean, and Africa. It offers beer, scotch, gin, vodka, rum, liqueur, raki, wine, Irish and Canadian whisky, US and Indian whisky, Chinese whisky, cachaça, tequila, brandy, and Chinese white spirit beverages. The company also …
Full DEO analysis →
Competitive advantage assessment
Key strengths
Margins Stable Across CyclesOperating margin volatility is low (stability score 0.80), demonstrating pricing resilience across cycles.
Cash Generation ConsistentCash generation is consistent (score 0.75), indicating reliable business model.
The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks
against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.
Upgrade to unlock the signals and evidence behind each defense.
Premium access
Unlock full defense analysis
Get key signals, strengths, and risks for every moat dimension.
Where DEO ranks in Beverages - Wineries & Distilleries
Diageo plc ranks #4 of 14
scored companies in Beverages - Wineries & Distilleries by moat score — the top 29%.
The widest moat in the group is Brown Forman Inc (BF-A)
at 92/100.
Moat scores for companies ranked near DEO in Beverages - Wineries & Distilleries
Pricing power is the ability to raise prices without losing volume.
Cost Advantage
Score 90
· 15% of the moat score
A cost advantage means delivering the same product for structurally less — better purchasing, denser distribution, a more automated process.
Customer Stickiness
Score 65
· 15% of the moat score
Stickiness is what makes revenue repeat without being re-won every year.
Capital Efficiency
Score 53
· 18% of the moat score
Capital efficiency asks what the company earns on the money tied up in the business.
Resilience
Score 59
· 17% of the moat score
Resilience is the capacity to get through a bad year on its own terms — enough liquidity, enough interest cover, and enough cash generation to avoid a rescue financing or a forced sale.
Scale & Market Position
Score 63
· 15% of the moat score
Scale matters only when it converts into economics.
Diageo plc (DEO) scores 67 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as moderate. It ranks #4 of 14 scored companies in Beverages - Wineries & Distilleries, the top 29%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 13 companies in Beverages - Wineries & Distilleries. Its strongest defense is Cost Advantage (90/100) and its weakest is Capital Efficiency (53/100).
How does Diageo plc compare with other Beverages - Wineries & Distilleries companies?
Diageo plc ranks #4 of 14 scored companies in Beverages - Wineries & Distilleries by moat score. The widest moat in Beverages - Wineries & Distilleries is Brown Forman Inc (BF-A) at 92/100. The companies ranked closest are Willamette Valley Vineyards, In (WVVIP) at 71 just above it and Willamette Valley Vineyards, In (WVVI) at 64 just below it.
How is the moat score calculated?
Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Corporate Default in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 13 companies in Beverages - Wineries & Distilleries. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.
Why is Diageo plc scored with the Corporate Default template?
Most public companies sell a product or a service at a margin, so the moat question is whether that margin survives contact with competitors. The Corporate template scores the six defenses that show up in a general operating company's financial signature: whether it can hold price, produce more cheaply than rivals, keep its customers, earn a return above its cost of capital, withstand a downturn, and turn size into economics.
Which competitive defenses are measured for Diageo plc?
The Corporate Default template measures 6 defenses, and DEO scores: Pricing Power (77), Cost Advantage (90), Customer Stickiness (65), Capital Efficiency (53), Resilience (59), Scale & Market Position (63). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.
We value your privacy
We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze site traffic, and personalize content. By clicking 'Accept All', you consent to our use of cookies.
Read our cookie policy
Cookie Preferences
Manage your cookie preferences. Essential cookies are always enabled.