The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Stock Position Boosted by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 1.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 295,937 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,848 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $9,322,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 15.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,844,859 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $943,993,000 after acquiring an additional 3,920,975 shares during the period. Andra AP fonden boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 16.2% during the 2nd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 532,100 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $15,479,000 after purchasing an additional 74,200 shares in the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 39.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 789,466 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $22,966,000 after purchasing an additional 222,693 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 2,679.9% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 30,523 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $965,000 after buying an additional 29,425 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV acquired a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter valued at $1,589,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE:IPG opened at $29.07 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $10.83 billion, a PE ratio of 13.71 and a beta of 1.10. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $26.88 and a fifty-two week high of $35.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $29.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.30.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting 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 the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.70 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.54%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is 62.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. UBS Group downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $34.00 to $29.00 in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Barclays decreased their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.50 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.71.

Interpublic Group of Companies Profile

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.