Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Now Covered by StockNews.com

Investment analysts at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) in a note issued to investors on Thursday. The brokerage set a “hold” rating on the business services provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on IPG. Barclays dropped their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.50 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $36.00 to $33.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Bank of America cut their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.00 price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.71.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $29.07 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $29.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.33. 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 1 year low of $26.88 and a 1 year high of $35.17. The company has a market capitalization of $10.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.71 and a beta of 1.10.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.76% and a net margin of 7.44%. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.70 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 73.8% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 883 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted 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 acquiring an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the second quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter worth about $32,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.