The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Bought by Gradient Investments LLC

Gradient Investments LLC increased its stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 12.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 486,902 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 52,931 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $13,643,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of IPG. State Street Corp increased its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,844,859 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $943,993,000 after purchasing an additional 3,920,975 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 240.9% in the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 28,862 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $913,000 after acquiring an additional 20,395 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 2,679.9% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 30,523 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $965,000 after acquiring an additional 29,425 shares during the period. ING Groep NV purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,589,000. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 956.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 104,734 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,313,000 after purchasing an additional 94,821 shares during the period. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of IPG opened at $28.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market cap of $10.63 billion, a PE ratio of 13.47 and a beta of 1.11. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $28.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $30.03. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $26.30 and a twelve month high of $35.17.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.70. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 27.76%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.70 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.62%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on IPG. Barclays raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday. Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.00 price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Monday, January 20th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $36.00 to $33.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.00.

Interpublic Group of Companies Profile

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Media, Data & Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions. The Media, Data & Engagement Solutions segment provides media and communications services, digital services and products, advertising and marketing technology, e-commerce services, data management and analytics, strategic consulting, and digital brand experience under the IPG Mediabrands, UM, Initiative, Kinesso, Acxiom, Huge, MRM, and R/GA brand names.