Analysts Set Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) Price Target at $116.50

Shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $116.50.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Diageo in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Diageo from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $124.00 price objective on Diageo and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th.

Diageo Stock Performance

Shares of DEO opened at $89.51 on Monday. Diageo has a one year low of $84.52 and a one year high of $116.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $91.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $95.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Diageo

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of Diageo in the 4th quarter valued at about $202,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in Diageo by 6.9% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,099 shares of the company’s stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. MQS Management LLC boosted its stake in Diageo by 20.2% in the second quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 5,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $577,000 after acquiring an additional 963 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Diageo by 84.0% during the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 357 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Diageo by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 180,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,244,000 after purchasing an additional 1,649 shares during the period. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Diageo Company 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.