Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Coverage Initiated at StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) in a report issued on Monday morning. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the business services provider’s stock.

IPG has been the subject of several other reports. Argus lowered shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. BNP Paribas upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE IPG opened at $26.66 on Monday. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 1 year low of $25.85 and a 1 year high of $33.29. The firm has a market cap of $9.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.57 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $27.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Interpublic Group of Companies

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This represents a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Interpublic Group of Companies

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Apollon Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter worth approximately $202,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 18.1% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 706,774 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $22,355,000 after acquiring an additional 108,267 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.2% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 204,066 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,454,000 after acquiring an additional 4,349 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.1% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 22,376 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $708,000 after acquiring an additional 683 shares during the period. Finally, ING Groep NV acquired a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter valued at about $1,589,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company 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.