Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading 0.1% Higher

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) rose 0.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $168.91 and last traded at $168.58. Approximately 1,372,365 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 6,542,671 shares. The stock had previously closed at $168.45.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on PG. BNP Paribas began coverage on Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $187.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $168.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.72.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 1.0 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $164.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $158.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $393.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.42.

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

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th were given a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 18th. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.41%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is 65.69%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Sundar G. Raman sold 31,924 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.95, for a total value of $5,329,711.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 19,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,179,061.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 9,149 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.72, for a total value of $1,534,470.28. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,168,451.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Sundar G. Raman sold 31,924 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.95, for a total value of $5,329,711.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 19,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,179,061.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 154,544 shares of company stock valued at $25,413,051. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at $17,696,000. Dfpg Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Dfpg Investments LLC now owns 24,892 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,680,000 after buying an additional 424 shares in the last quarter. Campbell Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Campbell Wealth Management now owns 1,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $291,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the period. Herold Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. now owns 26,592 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,897,000 after acquiring an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in Procter & Gamble by 29.0% during the 1st quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 43,202 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,010,000 after acquiring an additional 9,716 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

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.