Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC reduced its position in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 75,010 shares of the company’s stock after selling 590 shares during the quarter. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $12,575,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Hoey Investments Inc. increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 321.7% in the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 95.3% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC now owns 207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Erste Group Bank upgraded Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $209.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $182.00.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Procter & Gamble stock opened at $157.85 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $370.14 billion, a PE ratio of 25.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76. The Procter & Gamble Company has a fifty-two week low of $153.52 and a fifty-two week high of $180.43. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $168.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.84.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) 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 net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.84 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.68%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total transaction of $14,819,328.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. The trade was a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total transaction of $6,078,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,829,817.68. The trade was a 61.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

About Procter & Gamble

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.