American National Bank & Trust Co. VA Acquires Shares of 29,795 Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO)

American National Bank & Trust Co. VA acquired a new stake in Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 29,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,432,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado lifted its stake in Diageo by 4,665.2% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 482,713 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,312,000 after buying an additional 472,583 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Diageo by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 14,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,129,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Financial Group purchased a new stake in shares of Diageo during the fourth quarter worth approximately $296,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Diageo by 56.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 677,478 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,681,000 after purchasing an additional 245,255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Diageo by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 41,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,090,000 after purchasing an additional 2,400 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Citigroup upgraded Diageo from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $3,730.00.

Diageo Price Performance

DEO stock traded up $2.15 on Thursday, reaching $128.36. 399,350 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 676,516. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $135.32 and a 200-day moving average of $141.90. Diageo plc has a twelve month low of $124.80 and a twelve month high of $179.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73.

About Diageo

Diageo plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production, marketing, and sale of alcoholic beverages. It offers scotch, gin, vodka, rum, raki, liqueur, wine, tequila, Chinese white spirits, cachaça, and brandy, as well as beer, including cider and flavoured malt beverages. The company also provides Canadian, Irish, American, and Indian-Made Foreign Liquor whiskies, as well as ready to drink and non-alcoholic products.