Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Up 0.5% – Should You Buy?

Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) traded up 0.5% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $161.75 and last traded at $161.35. 7,218,206 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 28% from the average session volume of 5,628,331 shares. The stock had previously closed at $160.50.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. 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. UBS Group decreased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $176.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $209.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Friday, December 27th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.65.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $380.96 billion, a PE ratio of 27.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $169.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is 69.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total transaction of $8,604,804.48. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,189,463.68. The trade was a 54.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.73, for a total transaction of $2,210,944.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,804.35. This represents a 52.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 73,447 shares of company stock worth $12,978,820. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PG. Drive Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,455,000 after purchasing an additional 708 shares during the period. Legacy Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $255,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners now owns 17,260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,894,000 after buying an additional 705 shares in the last quarter. Peak Financial Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Peak Financial Management Inc. now owns 2,711 shares of the company’s stock worth $455,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TI Trust Inc. lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. TI Trust Inc. now owns 4,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $698,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.