The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $181.47.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of PG stock opened at $169.70 on Tuesday. Procter & Gamble has a 52-week low of $153.52 and a 52-week high of $180.43. The stock has a market cap of $397.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.02, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $167.45 and a 200-day moving average of $169.81.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.66 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Procter & Gamble will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.37%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.01%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 172,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. The trade was a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total value of $6,078,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. This trade represents a 61.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 143,450 shares of company stock valued at $23,988,008 over the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Procter & Gamble by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,671,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $280,291,000 after acquiring an additional 137,682 shares in the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 162,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,265,000 after purchasing an additional 13,068 shares during the last quarter. Members Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $725,000. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $929,000. Finally, Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 10,799 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,811,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

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.