Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Increases Position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 647,638 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,163 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble makes up 2.0% of Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $108,576,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of PG. Acorn Creek Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.8% in the third quarter. Acorn Creek Capital LLC now owns 2,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $376,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 5,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $963,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 0.7% during the third quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,507,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Procter & Gamble by 11.2% during the third quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 605 shares of the company’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Finally, Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $180.53.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

PG stock opened at $167.99 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $167.30 and a 200 day moving average of $169.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company has a market cap of $393.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.75, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1 year low of $153.52 and a 1 year high of $180.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.66 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is currently 64.17%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total transaction of $14,819,328.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. This represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 $2,002,804.35. The trade was a 52.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 151,097 shares of company stock valued at $25,635,076 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.