Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Tuesday.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Argus lifted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Procter & Gamble in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They set a neutral rating and a $168.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial raised shares of Procter & Gamble from a hold rating to a buy rating and upped their price target for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Monday, March 11th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $170.72.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

NYSE PG opened at $166.62 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $393.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.42. Procter & Gamble has a 52-week low of $141.45 and a 52-week high of $169.41. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $165.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $158.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.91% and a net margin of 18.00%. The business had revenue of $20.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.37 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Procter & Gamble will post 6.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th were paid a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.42%. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.85%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 855 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.50, for a total transaction of $135,517.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $634,634. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 855 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.50, for a total value of $135,517.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,004 shares in the company, valued at $634,634. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 21,388 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.98, for a total value of $3,528,592.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,854 shares in the company, valued at $6,080,172.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 154,544 shares of company stock valued at $25,413,051. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 64.7% in the first quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 196 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

About Procter & Gamble

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.