Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Purchases 26,014 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,081,303 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 26,014 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble makes up approximately 0.6% of Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $158,454,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of PG. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 96,526.4% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,535,557 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,840,449,000 after purchasing an additional 38,495,676 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,752,321,000. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 44,320,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,717,246,000 after acquiring an additional 4,959,527 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 118.1% in the 2nd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 6,334,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $961,170,000 after acquiring an additional 3,429,929 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 106.2% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 6,134,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $898,943,000 after acquiring an additional 3,159,796 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of PG traded up $0.50 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $155.95. 5,855,914 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,848,103. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.64. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 12-month low of $141.45 and a 12-month high of $163.14. The company has a market cap of $366.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.44. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $159.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $152.70.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $21.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.48 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 34.04% and a net margin of 17.60%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.59 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is 62.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective 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. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Raymond James increased 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of 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 issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $168.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 22,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total transaction of $3,549,040.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 36,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,943,835.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 101,704 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.57, for a total transaction of $15,618,683.28. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 163,428 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,097,637.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 22,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total value of $3,549,040.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,943,835.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 279,063 shares of company stock valued at $43,187,745. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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.