Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Up 1.2% – Should You Buy?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) rose 1.2% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $169.38 and last traded at $167.98. Approximately 2,446,988 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 66% from the average daily volume of 7,113,268 shares. The stock had previously closed at $165.99.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on PG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $180.53.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.6 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $396.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.45. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $167.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $169.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The business had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.84 EPS. Procter & Gamble’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders 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 2.38%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.73, for a total value of $2,210,944.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,804.35. The trade was a 52.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. The trade was a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 151,097 shares of company stock worth $25,635,076. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 972.0% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 268 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 2,142.9% in the third quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 314 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. 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.