First Eagle Investment Management LLC Boosts Position in Diageo plc $DEO

First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) by 90.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 132,978 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 63,119 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Diageo were worth $12,690,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of DEO. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Diageo in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 3,885.7% in the third quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the period. Bell Investment Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Diageo by 94.7% in the second quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 292 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Diageo during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, HHM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Diageo by 76.5% in the 2nd quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 330 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Diageo Price Performance

Diageo stock opened at $84.09 on Wednesday. Diageo plc has a 52 week low of $82.25 and a 52 week high of $116.69. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $91.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $95.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Diageo in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $124.00 target price on Diageo and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $116.50.

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.