Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) in a research report released on Friday. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Argus downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $27.08 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $28.03 and its 200 day moving average is $29.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $10.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.80 and a beta of 1.11. Interpublic Group of Companies has a twelve month low of $26.30 and a twelve month high of $35.17.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 anticipate that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase 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 repurchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Forum Financial Management LP increased its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 17.2% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,612 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $213,000 after acquiring an additional 1,115 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 40.4% during the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 253,675 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,106,000 after buying an additional 73,054 shares during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $1,923,000. Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $329,000. Finally, CSS LLC IL purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $280,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.