Confluence Wealth Services Inc. Boosts Stock Position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Confluence Wealth Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 41,835 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 497 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble comprises 0.5% of Confluence Wealth Services Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Confluence Wealth Services Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $6,951,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PG. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 267,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,092,000 after purchasing an additional 28,140 shares during the last quarter. Jericho Financial LLP acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,793,000. Berkshire Money Management Inc. purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth approximately $339,000. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 17.2% during the fourth quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 94,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,893,000 after acquiring an additional 13,930 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 187.1% in the fourth quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 13,523 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,265,000 after purchasing an additional 8,813 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock opened at $169.07 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $167.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $169.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76. The Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $153.52 and a one year high of $180.43. The company has a market cap of $396.45 billion, a PE ratio of 26.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.45.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The company had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.66 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.84 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on PG. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group decreased their price objective 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. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $180.53.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total value of $8,604,804.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 39,977 shares in the company, valued at $7,189,463.68. This represents a 54.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 owns 11,595 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,804.35. This trade represents a 52.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 151,097 shares of company stock valued at $25,635,076. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.