Diageo plc $DEO Shares Purchased by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 53.4% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,372,808 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 477,999 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Diageo were worth $102,124,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Advisortrust Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Diageo by 24.8% in the 1st quarter. Advisortrust Partners LLC now owns 5,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $443,000 after acquiring an additional 1,184 shares during the period. Gallacher Capital Management LLC grew its position in Diageo by 17.2% in the 1st quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 3,134 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares during the last quarter. BCGM Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Diageo by 9.3% in the 1st quarter. BCGM Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,504 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,154,000 after purchasing an additional 1,315 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its stake in shares of Diageo by 8.8% in the first quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 31,582 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,351,000 after purchasing an additional 2,561 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Diageo by 9.5% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 160,477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,948,000 after purchasing an additional 13,928 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DEO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Loop Capital set a $99.00 price objective on Diageo in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Zacks Research cut Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday. TD Cowen raised Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $88.00 to $93.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Diageo in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $106.25.

Diageo Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DEO opened at $89.16 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $82.43 and a 200-day moving average of $83.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. Diageo plc has a twelve month low of $72.45 and a twelve month high of $116.41.

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.