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

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) in a research report sent to investors on Monday. The firm issued a hold rating on the business services provider’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on IPG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Argus lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Interpublic Group of Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of IPG opened at $26.66 on Monday. Interpublic Group of Companies has a fifty-two week low of $25.85 and a fifty-two week high of $33.29. The company has a market capitalization of $9.94 billion, a PE ratio of 14.57 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $27.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

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

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This trade represents a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IPG. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings 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 worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $60,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 2,437 shares during the period. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.