Baxter Bros Inc. Sells 2,577 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Baxter Bros Inc. lessened its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 94,806 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,577 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble makes up about 2.1% of Baxter Bros Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Baxter Bros Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $15,894,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA now owns 236,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,833,000 after buying an additional 2,179 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 55,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,374,000 after buying an additional 1,818 shares during the period. Copley Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the third quarter valued at $668,000. Fortem Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth about $569,000. Finally, Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 123,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,764,000 after purchasing an additional 2,568 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on PG. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Erste Group Bank raised Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $209.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.47.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In other news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total value of $3,089,880.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at $3,785,274.66. This represents a 44.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were 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 directly owns 172,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. This represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 143,450 shares of company stock valued at $23,988,008. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of PG opened at $165.73 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $168.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.58. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $153.52 and a 52-week high of $180.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market capitalization of $388.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41.

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. The business had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.66 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were issued 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 yield of 2.43%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.01%.

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.