Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Stock Price Down 0.2% – Here’s What Happened

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) shares fell 0.2% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $165.67 and last traded at $166.31. 1,046,989 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 6,459,179 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.69.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $164.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.47.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $388.49 billion, a PE ratio of 26.38, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $167.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $169.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The firm had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.01%.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total transaction of $3,089,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,785,274.66. The trade was a 44.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total transaction of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. This trade represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PG. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the fourth 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 purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 321.7% in the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

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.