Qsemble Capital Management LP Trims Holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Qsemble Capital Management LP reduced its stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 86.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,847 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 84,027 shares during the quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $374,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of IPG. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 652.2% during the 2nd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 1,038 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the second quarter worth $32,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the second quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 2,024.6% in the 1st quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 1,296 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,235 shares during the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $34.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Macquarie reduced their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $33.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Bank of America cut their target price 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, UBS Group lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $34.00 to $29.00 in a research report on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.00.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 1.0 %

Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $30.85 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.98, a P/E/G ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.96. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $27.20 and a twelve month high of $35.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.02. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 9.46% and a return on equity of 27.98%. The firm had revenue of $2.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.74 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.28%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is currently 46.98%.

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.