Savant Capital LLC Makes New Investment in Diageo plc $DEO

Key Points

• Savant Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Diageo (NYSE:DEO) of 3,074 shares valued at approximately $310,000 during the second quarter.
• Other institutional moves included BNP Paribas boosting its position by 1,544.5% to 396,676 shares (~$41.6M) and Orbis Allan Gray buying roughly $36M of stock, with institutional investors now owning 8.97% of Diageo.
• Analyst coverage is mixed: the consensus rating is "Hold" with an average target of $119, while recent actions include BofA cutting its target to $109 (keep buy), Goldman Sachs upgrading to neutral, and Zacks lowering to a "strong sell".

Savant Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 3,074 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $310,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Diageo by 1,544.5% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 396,676 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,568,000 after acquiring an additional 372,555 shares during the last quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Diageo during the 1st quarter valued at about $36,050,000. Confluence Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Diageo by 14.0% during the 2nd quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 1,350,826 shares of the company's stock valued at $136,217,000 after purchasing an additional 165,839 shares in the last quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC acquired a new stake in Diageo during the first quarter worth approximately $16,944,000. Finally, Partners Capital Investment Group LLP bought a new stake in Diageo in the first quarter worth approximately $4,161,000. Institutional investors own 8.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on DEO. Bank of America cut their price target on Diageo from $117.00 to $109.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Diageo from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Diageo from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $119.00.

Diageo Price Performance

Diageo stock opened at $92.91 on Tuesday. Diageo plc has a 1-year low of $86.57 and a 1-year high of $132.34. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $96.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $103.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

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.

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