The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (IPG) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.33 on March 17th

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 12th, RTT News reports. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of 0.33 per share by the business services provider on Monday, March 17th. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd.

Interpublic Group of Companies has raised its dividend payment by an average of 6.9% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 13 consecutive years. Interpublic Group of Companies has a payout ratio of 46.2% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Interpublic Group of Companies to earn $2.84 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.32 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 46.5%.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 1.4 %

Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $27.40 on Friday. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 1-year low of $26.30 and a 1-year high of $35.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.97 and a beta of 1.11. 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.63.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. On average, analysts predict that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on IPG. Barclays upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Saturday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to repurchase $155.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.