The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Shares Sold by Sawgrass Asset Management LLC

Sawgrass Asset Management LLC lowered its position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,511 shares of the company’s stock after selling 552 shares during the period. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $1,247,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wyrmwood Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 636.6% during the fourth quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC now owns 302 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $168.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. StockNews.com downgraded Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.76.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE PG traded down $0.71 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $165.05. The stock had a trading volume of 4,579,411 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,870,830. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $160.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $154.49. The Procter & Gamble Company has a fifty-two week low of $141.45 and a fifty-two week high of $166.37. The company has a market cap of $389.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.97, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.69.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.10. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 33.91%. The business had revenue of $20.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.37 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 21,388 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.98, for a total value of $3,528,592.24. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 36,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,080,172.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, COO Shailesh Jejurikar sold 31,859 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.90, for a total value of $5,253,549.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 9,739 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,605,961.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 21,388 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.98, for a total transaction of $3,528,592.24. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 36,854 shares in the company, valued at $6,080,172.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 140,112 shares of company stock worth $22,841,321. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Company 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.