Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Stock Price Up 1.1% – Still a Buy?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) shot up 1.1% on Monday . The company traded as high as $172.98 and last traded at $172.07. 2,400,932 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 66% from the average session volume of 7,163,078 shares. The stock had previously closed at $170.23.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, February 10th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $209.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Procter & Gamble from $173.00 to $172.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $180.42.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $166.04 and a 200-day moving average of $169.45. The company has a market cap of $400.11 billion, a PE ratio of 27.17, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The firm had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.84 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.01%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total transaction of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. This represents a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total transaction of $8,604,804.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,189,463.68. This represents a 54.48 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of PG. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Hoey Investments Inc. boosted its position in Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

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.