Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Down 1.4% – What’s Next?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)’s share price traded down 1.4% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $167.10 and last traded at $167.20. 1,298,709 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 8,033,047 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.57.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on PG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $209.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.50.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $385.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $168.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $168.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The firm had revenue of $21.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.66 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.20%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,807 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,812,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Unique Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 2,141 shares of the company’s stock valued at $365,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 20.2% during the first quarter. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. now owns 375 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,738 shares of the company’s stock valued at $962,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% 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.