Procter & Gamble Company (The) $PG Stock: Financial Freedom LLC Increases Holdings

Financial Freedom LLC raised its holdings in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) by 17.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 44,757 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,786 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble accounts for approximately 3.0% of Financial Freedom LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Financial Freedom LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $6,502,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PG. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 109,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,966,000 after buying an additional 2,045 shares in the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 66,570 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,671,000 after buying an additional 846 shares during the last quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 5.6% in the third quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 64,802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,415,000 after buying an additional 3,418 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 10.5% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 434,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,707,000 after buying an additional 41,411 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 7.5% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 12,084,656 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,755,659,000 after buying an additional 845,717 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on PG. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Friday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $149.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.57.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of PG stock opened at $169.84 on Friday. Procter & Gamble Company has a twelve month low of $137.62 and a twelve month high of $170.73. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $154.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $149.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $393.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.58, a P/E/G ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.36.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The company reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.11. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 31.02% and a net margin of 18.23%. The firm had revenue of $23.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.80 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.99 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Investors of record on Friday, October 23rd will be issued a $1.0885 dividend. This represents a $4.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 23rd. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Andre Schulten sold 33,624 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $5,547,960.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 65,618 shares in the company, valued at $10,826,970. This trade represents a 33.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Victor Aguilar sold 18,812 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.43, for a total transaction of $3,093,257.16. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 55,243 shares in the company, valued at $9,083,606.49. The trade was a 25.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 200,006 shares of company stock worth $32,715,058 over the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Procter & Gamble

These are some of the PG headlines that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: P&G’s latest quarter beat expectations: earnings were $2.00 per share versus $1.89 expected, and revenue was $23.28 billion versus $22.80 billion expected, up 4% year over year. The results have helped lift shares toward a 52-week high. Article: Procter & Gamble Has Raised Its Dividend for 70 Straight Years
• Positive Sentiment: Investors continue to see P&G as a potential source of reliable income: the company has raised its dividend for 70 consecutive years and recently declared a quarterly payout of $1.0885 per share. Its established consumer brands and steady cash generation support that appeal. Article: P&G Has Raised Its Dividend for 70 Straight Years
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent valuation coverage asks whether P&G’s current market value is justified by its expected cash flows and how its valuation compares with rivals. This may make valuation more salient after the stock’s recent gains, but the available article summaries do not provide a specific fair-value estimate. Article: Is Procter & Gamble Stock Worth More Than Its Rivals?

About Procter & Gamble

The Procter & Gamble Company is a consumer goods company that develops, manufactures and markets products for everyday use. Founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble, the company is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its products span beauty, grooming, health care, fabric and home care, and baby, feminine and family care. Well-known brands include Tide, Pampers, Gillette, Pantene, Olay, Oral-B, Crest, Dawn, Charmin and Bounty. Procter & Gamble sells its products in markets around the world through retail stores, e-commerce platforms and other distribution channels.