Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH Decreases Stock Holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH trimmed its holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 93.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,429 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 58,462 shares during the quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,637,000. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 17.2% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,612 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $213,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 40.4% in the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 253,675 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,106,000 after purchasing an additional 73,054 shares in the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,923,000. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $329,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen assumed coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Argus lowered shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.44.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Down 1.4%

Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $23.97 on Friday. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.51 and a fifty-two week high of $33.05. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $24.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.98. The company has a market capitalization of $8.86 billion, a PE ratio of 13.10 and a beta of 1.09.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.03. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. The firm had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.36 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.51%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.76%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its board has approved a stock buyback 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.