Stevens Capital Management LP Takes $257,000 Position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Stevens Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 7,862 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $257,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Marino Stram & Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 26,654 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $870,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 7,364 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $240,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 7,364 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $240,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 16.3% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH raised its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.3% during the third quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 12,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $344,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $4,842,976.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,387,987.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 40,468 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $1,303,069.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 70,431 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,267,878.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $4,842,976.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,387,987.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 249,646 shares of company stock worth $8,038,601. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Up 1.0 %

IPG stock traded up $0.31 during trading on Friday, hitting $31.47. The company had a trading volume of 3,576,756 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,078,312. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $27.20 and a 52-week high of $40.95. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.09, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.13.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.01. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 29.80%. The company had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.38 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $0.33 dividend. This is a boost from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.19%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.13.

Interpublic Group of Companies 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.