The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Sold by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 17.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 28,986 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 6,299 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $812,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in IPG. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $60,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 243,700.0% in the third quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 2,437 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 3.3 %

NYSE:IPG opened at $26.50 on Tuesday. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $26.30 and a 12-month high of $35.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.58. The firm has a market cap of $9.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.48 and a beta of 1.11.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. Equities analysts anticipate that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to repurchase $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.98%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IPG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Saturday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.50.

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.