ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 4,217 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. cut its stake in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 949,131 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,217 shares during the period. Interpublic Group of Companies comprises 1.6% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $30,980,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Clear Street Markets LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 94.9% during the 1st quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 764 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other news, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 40,468 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 40,468 shares of the business’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 value of $1,303,069.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 70,431 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,267,878.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 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 $1,300,654.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 88,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,844,870. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 249,646 shares of company stock valued at $8,038,601. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Up 1.1 %

IPG stock traded up $0.33 during trading on Friday, hitting $30.72. The company had a trading volume of 4,029,280 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,070,688. The stock has a market cap of $11.59 billion, a PE ratio of 10.78, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a 50-day moving average of $31.98 and a 200-day moving average of $31.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $27.20 and a one year high of $40.95.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.02. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 10.09% and a return on equity of 30.52%. The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.57 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.02 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $0.33 dividend. This is a positive change from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.30%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is presently 46.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on IPG. UBS Group assumed coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Interpublic Group of Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.25.

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.