Sanctuary Advisors LLC Takes $10.73 Million Position in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 77,397 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,730,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Confluence Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Diageo in the first quarter worth $125,474,000. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in Diageo by 1,034.5% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 799,652 shares of the company's stock valued at $104,443,000 after purchasing an additional 729,166 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in Diageo by 416.0% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 521,920 shares of the company's stock worth $65,939,000 after acquiring an additional 420,778 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Diageo by 56.7% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 677,478 shares of the company's stock worth $98,681,000 after buying an additional 245,255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its stake in Diageo by 12,174.6% during the second quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 246,229 shares of the company's stock worth $31,045,000 after buying an additional 244,223 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 8.97% of the company's stock.

Diageo Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE:DEO traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $137.28. 329,533 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 775,573. The company has a fifty day moving average of $130.82 and a 200 day moving average of $134.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.53. Diageo plc has a twelve month low of $119.48 and a twelve month high of $161.64. The company has a market capitalization of $76.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.69.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. Diageo's payout ratio is 72.40%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DEO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Diageo from an "underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Bank of America raised Diageo from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Citigroup raised Diageo from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Diageo from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Diageo presently has an average rating of "Hold".

Diageo Company Profile

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.