Ascent Capital Management LLC Invests $244,000 in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Ascent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $244,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 972.0% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 268 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,313,845.76. This trade represents a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total value of $6,078,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. The trade was a 61.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of PG opened at $168.20 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 12 month low of $153.52 and a 12 month high of $180.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $167.27 and its 200-day moving average is $169.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $394.39 billion, a PE ratio of 26.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $21.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is presently 64.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on PG shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $209.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays boosted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target 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. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.47.

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.