Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the business services provider’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. UBS Group upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. BNP Paribas upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Argus lowered shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE:IPG opened at $26.07 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $28.83. Interpublic Group of Companies has a fifty-two week low of $25.81 and a fifty-two week high of $33.05. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $9.71 billion, a PE ratio of 14.25 and a beta of 1.14.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to buy up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total transaction of $574,672.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at $3,845,263.86. This trade represents a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 30.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,109,155 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,079,000 after purchasing an additional 260,312 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 59,373 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,664,000 after acquiring an additional 10,725 shares in the last quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. now owns 16,058 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $450,000 after acquiring an additional 712 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth $11,637,000. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP raised its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 17.2% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,612 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $213,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115 shares in the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company 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.