Interpublic Group of Companies Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:IPG)

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) was the target of some unusual options trading on Monday. Traders acquired 2,295 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 137% compared to the average volume of 969 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 73.8% in the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 883 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 652.2% in the second quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 1,038 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

IPG opened at $30.29 on Tuesday. 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 has a 52-week low of $26.88 and a 52-week high of $35.17. The firm has a market cap of $11.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.29 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s fifty day moving average is $30.12 and its 200-day moving average is $30.40.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.70. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 27.76%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.70 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on IPG. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $36.00 to $33.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $31.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $34.00 to $29.00 in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $30.57.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.