Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Down 0.6%

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)’s share price traded down 0.6% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $163.43 and last traded at $163.47. 1,228,106 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 6,851,735 shares. The stock had previously closed at $164.46.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on PG. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. StockNews.com lowered Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on 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, Barclays boosted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.76.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $388.10 billion, a PE ratio of 26.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.43. The business’s fifty day moving average is $160.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $154.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 33.91%. The company had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.37 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 earnings per share for the current 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 dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.45%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is currently 65.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In related news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total value of $620,719.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 11,886 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,908,891.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total transaction of $620,719.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,886 shares in the company, valued at $1,908,891.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 86,865 shares of company stock worth $14,059,180. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 64.7% during the first quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 196 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Wyrmwood Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.