Stephens Inc. AR Sells 8,534 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Stephens Inc. AR lessened its stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 32.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,155 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 8,534 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $509,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of IPG. AMF Tjanstepension AB grew its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 70.3% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 253,172 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,008,000 after acquiring an additional 104,514 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 122,533 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,876,000 after acquiring an additional 457 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,100 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 134.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 77,237 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,443,000 after acquiring an additional 44,225 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 28,164 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $891,000 after acquiring an additional 492 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE IPG opened at $27.08 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $10.09 billion, a PE ratio of 12.77 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $26.30 and a 1-year high of $35.17. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $28.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.88.

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 for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.76% and a net margin of 7.44%. Research analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program 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 repurchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.87%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on IPG shares. Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $31.00 target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. BNP Paribas raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.50.

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.