The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Acquired by RWC Asset Management LLP

RWC Asset Management LLP raised its stake in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 19.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,678 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,892 shares during the period. RWC Asset Management LLP’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $327,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $60,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 243,700.0% in the 3rd quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 2,437 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on IPG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Friday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Down 1.8 %

IPG stock opened at $27.08 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $28.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.72. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $26.30 and a 52-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 firm has a market capitalization of $10.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.80 and a beta of 1.11.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.88%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.