Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Down 0.6% – Time to Sell?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) was down 0.6% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $166.62 and last traded at $167.60. Approximately 1,495,349 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 7,527,751 shares. The stock had previously closed at $168.59.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on PG shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.47.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $393.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $167.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $169.82.

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

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.40%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.01%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total value of $6,078,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at $3,829,817.68. The trade was a 61.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at $28,313,845.76. The trade was a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock valued at $23,988,008 over the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth approximately $929,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 10,799 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,811,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. Campbell Deegan Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at $361,000. Lighthouse Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at $331,000. Finally, Anchor Pointe Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth $3,451,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

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.