49,776 Shares in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Acquired by International Assets Investment Management LLC

International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 49,776 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,525,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vest Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 30.9% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 392,769 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $12,820,000 after buying an additional 92,692 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 32.5% during the third quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 99,678 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,857,000 after purchasing an additional 24,459 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG lifted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 16.2% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 338,048 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $9,688,000 after purchasing an additional 47,184 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 212.9% during the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 827,224 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $23,708,000 after purchasing an additional 562,823 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 5.4% during the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 792,531 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $22,714,000 after purchasing an additional 40,889 shares in the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $1,300,654.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 88,350 shares in the company, valued at $2,844,870. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $1,300,654.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 88,350 shares in the company, valued at $2,844,870. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $4,842,976.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 415,776 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,387,987.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 249,646 shares of company stock worth $8,038,601. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on IPG shares. Barclays lifted their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Thursday, January 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $35.25.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of IPG stock opened at $30.72 on Monday. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $27.20 and a 12-month high of $40.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $31.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.13.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.02. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 10.09%. The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.57 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.02 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.30%. This is a positive change from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.32%.

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.