Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Up 0.3%

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)’s stock price rose 0.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $168.10 and last traded at $167.93. Approximately 804,377 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 6,540,476 shares. The stock had previously closed at $167.45.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $187.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com raised Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $168.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.72.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 1.0 %

The stock has a market cap of $389.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.42. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $165.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $158.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.10. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 33.91%. The business had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.37 EPS. Procter & Gamble’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th were given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.44%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.85%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 855 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.50, for a total transaction of $135,517.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $634,634. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Sundar G. Raman sold 31,924 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.95, for a total value of $5,329,711.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 19,042 shares in the company, valued at $3,179,061.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 855 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.50, for a total transaction of $135,517.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $634,634. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 154,544 shares of company stock valued at $25,413,051. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth about $17,696,000. Dfpg Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Dfpg Investments LLC now owns 24,892 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,680,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares during the period. Campbell Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Campbell Wealth Management now owns 1,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $291,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. now owns 26,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,897,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 29.0% during the 1st quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 43,202 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,010,000 after purchasing an additional 9,716 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

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.