Ascent Group LLC Acquires 1,287 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Ascent Group LLC raised its holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 62,207 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,287 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble accounts for 0.8% of Ascent Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $10,774,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

NYSE PG opened at $179.26 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $170.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $169.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 12-month low of $142.50 and a 12-month high of $180.43. The firm has a market cap of $422.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.91, a PEG ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.42.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The company reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $21.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.99 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.07% and a return on equity of 33.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.83 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.97 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, October 18th were issued a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 18th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson raised shares of Procter & Gamble from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $209.00 in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Wolfe Research upgraded Procter & Gamble to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $188.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $180.45.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Jon R. Moeller sold 7,007 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.65, for a total value of $1,202,751.55. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 269,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,203,373.80. This represents a 2.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.73, for a total transaction of $2,210,944.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,804.35. This trade represents a 52.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 35,233 shares of company stock valued at $6,024,234. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Procter & Gamble Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. The company 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, SK-II, and Native brands.