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

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nine research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $33.50.

Several brokerages have weighed in on IPG. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Friday, February 21st. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. BNP Paribas upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Argus lowered shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, UBS Group raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 70.3% in the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 253,172 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,008,000 after purchasing an additional 104,514 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 31.8% during the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,356 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares during the period. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $512,000. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC now owns 23,955 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $758,000 after acquiring an additional 2,461 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 2,679.9% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 30,523 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $965,000 after purchasing an additional 29,425 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $27.64 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $10.30 billion, a PE ratio of 15.10 and a beta of 1.11. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 1 year low of $26.30 and a 1 year high of $35.17. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.67. 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 (NYSE:IPG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. Equities analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.78%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is presently 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to repurchase $155.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.