Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Stock Price Down 0.3%

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) traded down 0.3% on Monday . The company traded as low as $160.68 and last traded at $160.87. 912,166 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 6,881,403 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.29.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on PG shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.76.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.1 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $381.02 billion, a PE ratio of 26.29, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.44. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $159.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $20.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.43 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 33.91%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.37 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.49%. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is presently 65.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total value of $4,581,309.81. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,507 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,265.43. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total transaction of $4,581,309.81. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,507 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,265.43. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total transaction of $620,719.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,886 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,908,891.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 55,865 shares of company stock worth $9,009,280 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

About Procter & Gamble

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.