Short Interest in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Increases By 8.0%

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) was the target of a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 24,450,000 shares, an increase of 8.0% from the December 15th total of 22,630,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 5,540,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.4 days. Currently, 6.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IPG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BNP Paribas raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.00 price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Sunday, January 12th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $36.00 to $33.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $32.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock traded down $0.06 during trading on Friday, hitting $27.84. 5,109,237 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,438,917. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.13 and a beta of 1.11. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $28.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $30.05. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 1-year low of $26.30 and a 1-year high of $35.17.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 27.76%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.70 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.74%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is presently 62.26%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 73.8% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 883 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 52.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,177 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter worth $60,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.