The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Bought by Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 122,986 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,682 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $4,014,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in IPG. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 56,942 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,632,000 after purchasing an additional 5,445 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 383,010 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $10,977,000 after acquiring an additional 48,265 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden lifted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 15.5% in the 3rd quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 123,100 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,528,000 after acquiring an additional 16,500 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 26.2% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 81,940 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,348,000 after purchasing an additional 17,000 shares during the period. Finally, IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 20.9% in the 3rd quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 86,987 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,493,000 after purchasing an additional 15,010 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 0.4 %

IPG stock traded up $0.12 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $30.96. 2,560,081 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,996,272. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.02, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.13. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $27.20 and a 52-week high of $40.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $31.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.46.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.18 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 29.70%. The company’s revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.38 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.33 per share. This is a positive change from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.26%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is 46.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Interpublic Group of Companies

In related news, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 18,382 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $591,900.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 42,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,364,958. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 18,382 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $591,900.40. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 42,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,364,958. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 40,468 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $1,303,069.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 70,431 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,267,878.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 249,646 shares of company stock worth $8,038,601. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.