Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Up 0.6% – Here’s Why

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) shares were up 0.6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $161.75 and last traded at $161.39. Approximately 2,283,755 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 64% from the average daily volume of 6,362,415 shares. The stock had previously closed at $160.50.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $176.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $209.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Friday, December 27th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.65.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $379.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $169.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.38.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The company reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $21.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.99 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.25% and a net margin of 17.07%. Procter & Gamble’s revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.83 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is 69.48%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.99, for a total transaction of $2,163,072.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,954,538.34. The trade was a 52.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 approximately $2,343,110. This trade represents a 12.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 75,439 shares of company stock worth $13,317,460. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fiera Capital Corp grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1,135.1% in the 2nd quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 20,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,412,000 after buying an additional 19,013 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 9.3% in the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 222,592 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,710,000 after acquiring an additional 18,855 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 852,073 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,517,000 after purchasing an additional 29,746 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 56,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,249,000 after purchasing an additional 764 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kiely Wealth Advisory Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 12.3% in the 2nd quarter. Kiely Wealth Advisory Group Inc. now owns 1,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

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.