Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading 1.4% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) was up 1.4% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $145.57 and last traded at $144.7630. Approximately 11,373,045 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 3% from the average daily volume of 11,696,123 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.71.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on PG shares. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $164.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $177.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Procter & Gamble from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $157.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $171.00 to $162.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Barclays set a $155.00 target price on Procter & Gamble in a report on Friday, January 16th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $167.83.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $153.93 and its 200-day moving average is $150.07. The company has a market cap of $336.43 billion, a PE ratio of 21.45, a PEG ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 0.37.

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

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 23rd were paid a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 23rd. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.67%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of 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 boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 65.1% in the 4th quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1,315.4% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.