Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Stock Sees Heavy Call Option Buying

Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) was the target of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Traders bought 30,953 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 33% compared to the typical daily volume of 23,276 call options.

Key Headlines Impacting Procter & Gamble

Here are the key news stories impacting Procter & Gamble this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results exceeded expectations: Adjusted earnings were $2.00 per share versus the $1.89 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 4% year over year to $23.28 billion, ahead of estimates near $22.80 billion. Procter & Gamble Q1 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying demand remained healthy: Organic sales increased 4%, supported by higher product volumes, favorable product mix and productivity savings. Laundry and home-care products were highlighted as key contributors, suggesting consumers continue to purchase essential household goods. Procter & Gamble earnings beat as sales rise 4%
• Positive Sentiment: Sales outlook improved: P&G raised its fiscal 2027 sales forecast, partly reflecting the acquisition of Thorne. The update reinforced investor confidence that the company can maintain growth amid economic and geopolitical uncertainty. Procter & Gamble raises FY2027 sales outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Full-year expectations remain broadly intact: Management maintained its overall fiscal-year outlook while incorporating the Thorne acquisition, limiting the risk of a major forecast reset but providing less upside than a complete earnings-guidance increase.
• Negative Sentiment: Costs remain a concern: Higher commodity and fuel costs are expected to create an approximately $1.4 billion annual profit headwind, putting pressure on margins even as sales grow. P&G flags bigger hit to annual profit from higher commodity costs

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of PG stock traded up $9.66 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $166.50. The stock had a trading volume of 9,785,052 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,700,938. The firm has a market capitalization of $386.72 billion, a PE ratio of 25.15, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.39. Procter & Gamble has a twelve month low of $137.62 and a twelve month high of $167.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $147.65 and its 200 day moving average is $146.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.47.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The company reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.11. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.44% and a return on equity of 31.36%. The business had revenue of $23.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.99 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Procter & Gamble will post 6.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.0885 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is 65.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CAO Matthew Janzaruk sold 359 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.24, for a total value of $52,141.16. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,271 shares in the company, valued at $184,600.04. The trade was a 22.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Paul Gama sold 2,225 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.34, for a total value of $323,381.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 51,124 shares in the company, valued at $7,430,362.16. This represents a 4.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,135 shares of company stock worth $2,189,970. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PG. Culbertson A N & Co. Inc. grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Culbertson A N & Co. Inc. now owns 58,397 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,484,000 after buying an additional 890 shares during the last quarter. NBT Bank N.A. bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter valued at about $16,439,000. Isthmus Partners LLC raised its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 108,953 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,829,000 after acquiring an additional 479 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 35.5% during the third quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 7,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,078,000 after acquiring an additional 1,946 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JSF Financial LLC lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 17.1% during the third quarter. JSF Financial LLC now owns 5,841 shares of the company’s stock worth $849,000 after acquiring an additional 851 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $164.00 to $162.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 16th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $177.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $146.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $166.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Tuesday. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.20.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) is a global consumer products company that develops, manufactures and markets branded products used in households and personal care. Its portfolio includes personal health and grooming products, beauty and skin care items, baby, feminine and family care products, fabric and home care products, and oral care products.

The company’s well-known brands include Pampers, Tide, Gillette, Crest, Oral-B, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Olay, Old Spice, Dawn, Febreze and Mr.