Merit Financial Group LLC Increases Stake in Procter & Gamble Company (The) $PG

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) by 6.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 303,351 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 18,704 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $44,483,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1,000.0% in the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 65.1% during the fourth quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 1,315.4% in the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Basso Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock opened at $143.57 on Wednesday. Procter & Gamble Company has a fifty-two week low of $137.62 and a fifty-two week high of $167.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $333.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.69, a P/E/G ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a fifty day moving average of $148.03 and a 200 day moving average of $148.82.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 31.36% and a net margin of 18.44%.The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. Procter & Gamble has set its FY 2027 guidance at 6.890-7.110 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th were paid a $1.0885 dividend. This represents a $4.35 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 24th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen raised their price target on Procter & Gamble from $142.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Argus downgraded Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $158.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Evercore set a $162.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, April 27th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $161.52.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) is a multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble, P&G has grown into one of the world’s largest producers of branded consumer packaged goods. The company focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing a broad portfolio of household and personal care products sold to consumers and retailers worldwide.

P&G’s product offering spans several core business categories, including Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric & Home Care, and Baby, Feminine & Family Care.