Syon Capital LLC Increases Holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Syon Capital LLC grew its position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 66.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 26,178 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,432 shares during the period. Syon Capital LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $3,836,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wyrmwood Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Mendota Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 636.6% in the fourth quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC now owns 302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 206.6% during the fourth quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 281 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Procter & Gamble stock traded down $1.26 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $161.29. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,594,655 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,956,219. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $159.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $153.39. The Procter & Gamble Company has a twelve month low of $141.45 and a twelve month high of $164.32. The firm has a market cap of $380.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.30, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.44.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.91% and a net margin of 18.00%. The firm had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.37 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is currently 65.85%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.00, for a total value of $7,020,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 973 shares in the company, valued at $151,788. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total value of $4,581,309.81. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 11,507 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,265.43. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.00, for a total transaction of $7,020,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $151,788. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 100,865 shares of company stock worth $16,029,280 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Argus upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Raymond James upped their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $169.76.

Procter & Gamble Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.