Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Now Covered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The firm issued a hold rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on IPG. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.00 target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

IPG opened at $27.00 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $10.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.74 and a beta of 1.11. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.90. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 12-month low of $26.30 and a 12-month high of $35.17.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.76% and a net margin of 7.44%. Research analysts predict that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.89%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to repurchase $155.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Interpublic Group of Companies

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company 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.