Russell Investments Group Ltd. Reduces Position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its stake in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 7.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,819,574 shares of the company’s stock after selling 137,119 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble comprises approximately 0.5% of Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.08% of Procter & Gamble worth $266,523,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PG. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Mendota Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 636.6% in the fourth quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC now owns 302 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the period. Finally, Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 206.6% in the fourth quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

NYSE PG traded down $1.26 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $161.29. 5,659,784 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,820,118. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $141.45 and a 52-week high of $164.32. The company has a market capitalization of $380.67 billion, a PE ratio of 26.35, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $159.64 and its 200-day moving average is $153.51.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.10. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 33.91%. The business had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.37 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a $1.0065 dividend. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is 65.85%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total value of $620,719.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 11,886 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,908,891.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total value of $620,719.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 11,886 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,908,891.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 776 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.11, for a total value of $122,693.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,859 shares in the company, valued at approximately $768,256.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 100,865 shares of company stock valued at $16,029,280 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.76.

About Procter & Gamble

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.