166,000 Shares in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Acquired by River Global Investors LLP

River Global Investors LLP purchased a new stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 166,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,417,000. Interpublic Group of Companies accounts for approximately 1.0% of River Global Investors LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Black Creek Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 14.1% during the 3rd quarter. Black Creek Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,722,563 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $278,649,000 after purchasing an additional 1,204,630 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.8% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,291,211 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $266,286,000 after acquiring an additional 167,810 shares during the period. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 5.2% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 8,385,274 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $240,317,000 after acquiring an additional 414,110 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 24.6% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,635,459 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $132,852,000 after purchasing an additional 916,574 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,038,225 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $87,076,000 after purchasing an additional 160,312 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.13.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $1,300,654.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 88,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,844,870. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $1,300,654.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 88,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,844,870. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $4,842,976.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,387,987.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 249,646 shares of company stock valued at $8,038,601 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of IPG stock traded up $0.19 on Friday, reaching $30.72. 2,066,467 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,566,049. The company has a market cap of $11.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.93, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a 50-day moving average of $31.72 and a 200-day moving average of $31.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $27.20 and a one year high of $40.95.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 29.70%. The firm’s revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.38 EPS. Analysts anticipate that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.33 per share. This is an increase from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.98%.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.