Sanctuary Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 77,397 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,730,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in DEO. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in Diageo by 5.3% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 74,352 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,374,000 after buying an additional 3,722 shares during the period. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Diageo in the 2nd quarter worth about $320,000. McGinn Penninger Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Diageo by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. McGinn Penninger Investment Management Inc. now owns 31,627 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,988,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its stake in Diageo by 333.3% during the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 6,933 shares of the company’s stock worth $874,000 after acquiring an additional 5,333 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new stake in Diageo in the second quarter worth about $126,000. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Diageo Stock Performance

Shares of DEO opened at $137.61 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $76.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.69. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $130.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $134.79. Diageo plc has a 12 month low of $119.48 and a 12 month high of $161.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62.

Diageo Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on DEO shares. Citigroup upgraded shares of Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Bank of America raised Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Diageo from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Three 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold”.

Diageo 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.