The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nine research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $33.50.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on IPG shares. BNP Paribas upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Barclays upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Argus downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:IPG opened at $27.57 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 capitalization of $10.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.06 and a beta of 1.11. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 12 month low of $26.30 and a 12 month high of $35.17. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $28.13 and its 200 day moving average is $29.75.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. Research analysts predict that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to buyback $155.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.79%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 72.13%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of IPG. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of 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 valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. 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.