Proactive Wealth Strategies LLC Grows Stock Position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Proactive Wealth Strategies LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 11,094 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 607 shares during the quarter. Proactive Wealth Strategies LLC’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $311,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kestra Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 64.9% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 18,562 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $520,000 after purchasing an additional 7,304 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 65,251 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,828,000 after purchasing an additional 1,060 shares during the period. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC raised its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 27.2% in the 4th quarter. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC now owns 25,490 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $714,000 after purchasing an additional 5,450 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 480 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 37.8% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 8,034 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 2,203 shares during the period. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $27.08 on Tuesday. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $26.30 and a 1-year high of $35.17. 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $28.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.82. The company has a market capitalization of $10.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.77 and a beta of 1.11.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last posted 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 27.76% and a net margin of 7.44%. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.8 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to repurchase $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on IPG shares. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Thursday, February 13th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $31.00 target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.50.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.