Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Up 1.1% – Here’s Why

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)’s stock price traded up 1.1% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $172.98 and last traded at $172.07. 2,400,932 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 66% from the average session volume of 7,163,078 shares. The stock had previously closed at $170.23.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on PG shares. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $173.00 to $172.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $209.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $180.42.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

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 firm has a market cap of $400.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.17, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.45. The company’s 50-day moving average is $166.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.45.

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

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.01%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In other news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total value of $8,604,804.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,189,463.68. This represents a 54.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. The trade was a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Hoey Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 321.7% in the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.