Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Cut to Hold at Erste Group Bank

Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. TD Cowen lowered shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $150.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Procter & Gamble from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $157.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Dbs Bank upgraded Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler began coverage on Procter & Gamble in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.33.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PG opened at $142.33 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $330.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.09, a PEG ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.37. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $153.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $150.30. Procter & Gamble has a 12 month low of $137.62 and a 12 month high of $174.80.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 19.30% and a return on equity of 32.21%. The firm had revenue of $22.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.36 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.88 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Procter & Gamble will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 23rd were issued a $1.0568 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.67%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In other news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 5,549 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.29, for a total transaction of $917,194.21. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,029 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $170,083.41. This represents a 84.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 1,809 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.46, for a total transaction of $288,463.14. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 30,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,818,083.90. This trade represents a 5.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 348,618 shares of company stock worth $55,462,643 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PG. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the third quarter worth $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1,000.0% during the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Park Square Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 65.1% during the 4th quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1,315.4% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Procter & Gamble

Here are the key news stories impacting Procter & Gamble this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Pampers AMORE launch could support pricing power and margin recovery if premium diapers win share and maintain ASPs; a successful rollout would help consumer-staples revenue resilience. Pampers Amore Premium Launch Tests Procter And Gamble Pricing Power
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend-focused coverage highlights PG’s status as a Dividend King with long streak of hikes and a ~60% payout ratio — supportive for income investors and defensive positioning in volatile markets. Dividend Resilience: Why These Kings Are Safe After a Volatile Q1
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage naming PG a “relatively safe dividend stock” reiterates defensive thesis; useful for long-term income holders but not an immediate share-price catalyst. 1 Relatively Safe Dividend Stock Investors Can Buy Now
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group downgraded PG to Hold (from Buy), citing higher energy/input costs and weaker U.S. consumer confidence — a clear near-term negative for analyst sentiment and stock pressure. Erste Group Downgrades Procter & Gamble (PG) on Cost Pressures and Weak Demand
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary described the latest quarter as “squeezably soft” with organic sales stalling — reinforces concerns about demand momentum and margin pressure despite flat EPS year-over-year. Analyst calls P&G’s latest quarter ‘squeezably soft’ as organic sales stall
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/market signals show PG among “oversold” consumer names (RSI below 30), reflecting recent selling pressure that can amplify short-term downside even if fundamentals remain intact. 4 Consumer Favorites Look Oversold Right Now: Disney, McDonald’s and More
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/geopolitical supply risks (Strait of Hormuz closure) could raise input costs for plastics and fertilizers, pressuring margins across staples including PG’s packaging and raw-materials costs. Here Are 7 Ways the Strait of Hormuz Closure Is Affecting Consumer Staples Stocks

About Procter & Gamble

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.