Barclays PLC Raises Stock Position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Barclays PLC grew its holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,656,540 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,787 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 0.44% of Interpublic Group of Companies worth $46,417,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $107,000. CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 7,037 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $197,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft acquired a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $203,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on IPG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com started coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Friday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Tuesday. Argus lowered shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.67.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $23.91 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.07 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $26.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $28.22. 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 Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.51 and a 12 month high of $33.05.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to repurchase $155.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.52%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.13%.

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.