Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Up 0.3% – Time to Buy?

Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) rose 0.3% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $161.82 and last traded at $161.74. Approximately 1,080,421 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 5,758,082 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.30.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on PG. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $176.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Procter & Gamble in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $179.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $164.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.75.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 2.1 %

The firm has a market cap of $373.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The business’s 50-day moving average is $169.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.57.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 18th. The company reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $21.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.99 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.25% and a net margin of 17.07%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.83 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.73, for a total transaction of $2,210,944.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,804.35. This trade represents a 52.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 1,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $338,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 13,783 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,343,110. This represents a 12.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 75,439 shares of company stock worth $13,317,460 in the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter valued at $44,000. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.