Entropy Technologies LP Increases Stake in Diageo plc $DEO

Key Points

• Entropy Technologies LP raised its stake in Diageo by 81.3% in Q3, buying 19,202 shares to hold 42,808 shares valued at about $4.09 million.
• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company dramatically increased its position by 72,871.7% to 1,568,162 shares (≈$158.13 million), signaling major institutional buying.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average target of $116.50, while Diageo shares recently traded near $76.78 (52‑week low $75.77), indicating a sizable gap between current price and analyst targets.

Entropy Technologies LP raised its holdings in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO - Free Report) by 81.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,808 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 19,202 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP's holdings in Diageo were worth $4,085,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Diageo by 72,871.7% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,568,162 shares of the company's stock valued at $158,133,000 after acquiring an additional 1,566,013 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Diageo by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,547,626 shares of the company's stock worth $147,690,000 after purchasing an additional 121,008 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Diageo by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 1,363,504 shares of the company's stock worth $130,119,000 after purchasing an additional 12,678 shares during the period. Cullen Capital Management LLC raised its position in Diageo by 67.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,309,258 shares of the company's stock valued at $124,943,000 after purchasing an additional 527,814 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Diageo by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,276,576 shares of the company's stock valued at $121,824,000 after buying an additional 4,227 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.97% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Diageo in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $124.00 price target on shares of Diageo and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Diageo in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Diageo from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Diageo in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $116.50.

Diageo Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DEO opened at $76.78 on Friday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $90.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.69. Diageo plc has a fifty-two week low of $75.77 and a fifty-two week high of $116.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

Diageo Profile

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.

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