Boston Partners Sells 17,096 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Boston Partners trimmed its stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,330,025 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 17,096 shares during the period. Boston Partners’ holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $37,269,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $60,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 243,700.0% during the 3rd quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 2,437 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $107,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Argus downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Monday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 0.4 %

Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $26.66 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.18. The company has a market cap of $9.94 billion, a PE ratio of 14.57 and a beta of 1.14. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $25.85 and a fifty-two week high of $33.29.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued 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 net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. Equities analysts anticipate that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.95%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to repurchase $155.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.