Diageo plc $DEO Shares Sold by Grandfield & Dodd LLC

Grandfield & Dodd LLC lowered its stake in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 3.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 259,204 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,462 shares during the quarter. Diageo accounts for about 1.4% of Grandfield & Dodd LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Grandfield & Dodd LLC’s holdings in Diageo were worth $24,736,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its stake in shares of Diageo by 42.2% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 99,998 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,099,000 after buying an additional 29,674 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC acquired a new position in Diageo during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $310,000. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC grew its holdings in Diageo by 81.8% during the 2nd quarter. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC now owns 33,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,338,000 after acquiring an additional 14,895 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Diageo by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 1,363,504 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,119,000 after purchasing an additional 12,678 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in shares of Diageo by 353.7% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 717,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,377,000 after purchasing an additional 559,547 shares in the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on DEO shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Diageo from $117.00 to $109.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Zacks Research lowered Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $124.00 price target on shares of Diageo and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $116.50.

Diageo Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:DEO opened at $91.14 on Friday. Diageo plc has a 52-week low of $84.52 and a 52-week high of $125.94. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $88.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $97.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.63.

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.