Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Increases Holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 5.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 142,930 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,159 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $23,572,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ieq Capital LLC increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 13.2% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 131,962 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,763,000 after acquiring an additional 15,337 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 29,006 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,784,000 after acquiring an additional 838 shares during the period. Cowa LLC increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 2,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $436,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. UP Strategic Wealth Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 15.7% in the 2nd quarter. UP Strategic Wealth Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,375 shares of the company’s stock valued at $392,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares during the period. Finally, WCG Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,590,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 8,842 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.90, for a total transaction of $1,458,045.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 11,537 shares in the company, valued at $1,902,451.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 3,373 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $573,410.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 21,513 shares in the company, valued at $3,657,210. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 8,842 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.90, for a total transaction of $1,458,045.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 11,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,902,451.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 375,553 shares of company stock valued at $63,829,141. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on PG shares. Barclays lowered their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $163.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $179.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $171.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $157.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.16.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of PG stock opened at $171.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.73. The Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $141.45 and a one year high of $177.94. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $170.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $165.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $404.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.03, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.71% and a return on equity of 33.46%. The business had revenue of $20.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.37 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 19th were given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 19th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.35%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is 65.85%.

Procter & Gamble Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.