Candriam S.C.A. Boosts Stock Holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Candriam S.C.A. boosted its stake in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 17.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,257,669 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 187,839 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble accounts for 1.2% of Candriam S.C.A.’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $210,848,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of PG. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 972.0% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 268 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on PG shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $173.00 to $172.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $209.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.11.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total transaction of $3,089,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,785,274.66. This trade represents a 44.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock valued at $23,988,008. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

PG opened at $174.83 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $166.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.69. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1 year low of $153.52 and a 1 year high of $180.43. The stock has a market cap of $409.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.45.

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

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.01%.

Procter & Gamble 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.