Arvest Investments Inc. Sells 4,160 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Arvest Investments Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 59,017 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,160 shares during the period. Arvest Investments Inc.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $1,654,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $60,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 243,700.0% in the 3rd quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 2,437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $107,000. Institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Up 0.4 %

Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $26.66 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $27.55 and a 200-day moving average of $29.18. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $25.85 and a one year high of $33.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $9.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.57 and a beta of 1.14.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 EPS 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.95%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 72.13%.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective 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 lowered their price objective for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Argus lowered shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Monday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.50.

Insider Transactions at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This represents a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

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.