Flputnam Investment Management Co. Sells 4,865 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Flputnam Investment Management Co. cut its holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 145,710 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,865 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $4,083,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter valued at $32,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter valued at $60,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 243,700.0% in the third quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 2,437 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IPG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Saturday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Argus cut shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $27.40 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $10.21 billion, a PE ratio of 14.97 and a beta of 1.11. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $27.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $26.30 and a 1 year high of $35.17.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. Equities research analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.82%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $155.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to buy up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are 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.