Interpublic Group of Companies Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:IPG)

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) saw some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Investors acquired 8,085 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 1,414% compared to the typical volume of 534 put options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IPG has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 9th. UBS Group cut Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $34.00 to $29.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $26.00 target price (down from $28.00) on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays dropped their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.50 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, BNP Paribas downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.57.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 9.7% during the third quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 4,136 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $131,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 73.8% in the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 883 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.2% in the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 17,584 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $494,000 after acquiring an additional 382 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.9% during the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 14,058 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $445,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 52.5% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,177 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 405 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 7.2 %

NYSE:IPG opened at $27.10 on Friday. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 12-month low of $27.01 and a 12-month high of $35.17. The firm has a market cap of $10.10 billion, a PE ratio of 12.78 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $30.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $30.62.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 27.76%. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.70 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.87%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.26%.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Media, Data & Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions. The Media, Data & Engagement Solutions segment provides media and communications services, digital services and products, advertising and marketing technology, e-commerce services, data management and analytics, strategic consulting, and digital brand experience under the IPG Mediabrands, UM, Initiative, Kinesso, Acxiom, Huge, MRM, and R/GA brand names.