Alta Advisers Ltd Buys 1,246 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Alta Advisers Ltd grew its stake in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 18.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,868 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,246 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble comprises about 0.8% of Alta Advisers Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Alta Advisers Ltd’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $1,319,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of PG. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 933.3% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 95.3% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC now owns 207 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on PG shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $209.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.50.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total value of $6,078,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at $3,829,817.68. The trade was a 61.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. The trade was a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 143,450 shares of company stock valued at $23,988,008 in the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of PG stock opened at $165.91 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $168.32 and a 200 day moving average of $168.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $389.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.42, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52 week low of $156.69 and a 52 week high of $180.43.

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

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a $1.0568 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.55%. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.20%.

Procter & Gamble Profile

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.