The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Given Average Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) have been assigned an average rating of “Reduce” from the eight research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $30.57.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on IPG shares. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.50 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $26.00 target price (down previously from $28.00) on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Tuesday. 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. Finally, Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $31.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $29.89 on Friday. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 1-year low of $27.54 and a 1-year high of $35.17. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $31.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $30.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.64, a PEG ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 1.09. 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 announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70. The business 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 9.46% and a return on equity of 27.98%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.70 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.42%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is 46.98%.

Institutional Trading of Interpublic Group of Companies

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of IPG. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.3% during the first quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 10,923 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 8.4% in the first quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,530 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 350 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 73.8% during the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 883 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 17,584 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $494,000 after acquiring an additional 382 shares during the period. Finally, Signet Financial Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC now owns 20,550 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $671,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.