Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Up 0.8% – Should You Buy?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)’s stock price was up 0.8% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $175.25 and last traded at $174.49. Approximately 1,471,261 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 6,313,105 shares. The stock had previously closed at $173.18.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on PG. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $209.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $164.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.11.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $166.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $169.72. The company has a market cap of $412.84 billion, a PE ratio of 28.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.45.

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

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.29%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.01%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. This represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total transaction of $3,089,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,785,274.66. The trade was a 44.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 933.3% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.