34,872 Shares in Diageo plc $DEO Purchased by Cantor Fitzgerald L. P.

Cantor Fitzgerald L. P. acquired a new position in shares of Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 34,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,328,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Diageo by 48.5% during the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,701,878 shares of the company’s stock valued at $162,410,000 after acquiring an additional 555,509 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in Diageo by 72,871.7% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,568,162 shares of the company’s stock worth $158,133,000 after purchasing an additional 1,566,013 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Diageo by 67.5% during 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 during the period. 8.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Diageo Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE DEO opened at $76.86 on Wednesday. Diageo plc has a 1-year low of $75.77 and a 1-year high of $116.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $90.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $92.68.

Diageo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. This represents a yield of 207.0%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Diageo in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised Diageo from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Diageo in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Diageo in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, HSBC downgraded Diageo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Diageo has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.