Echo45 Advisors LLC Sells 161 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Echo45 Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 10.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,401 shares of the company’s stock after selling 161 shares during the quarter. Echo45 Advisors LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $239,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PG. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,807 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,812,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Unique Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.9% during the first quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 2,141 shares of the company’s stock worth $365,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,738 shares of the company’s stock worth $962,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 4,704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $789,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, First Citizens Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. First Citizens Financial Corp now owns 3,664 shares of the company’s stock worth $624,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on PG shares. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Procter & Gamble from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and set a $190.00 target price (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $200.00 to $181.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.86.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

PG opened at $162.19 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $380.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The Procter & Gamble Company has a fifty-two week low of $156.58 and a fifty-two week high of $180.43. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $163.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $167.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.42 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. Procter & Gamble’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.52 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st were paid a $1.0568 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 21st. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.61%. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $1,669,208.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 25,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,995,627.94. This trade represents a 29.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total transaction of $161,380.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 51,965 shares in the company, valued at $8,386,111.70. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.