The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) CFO Sells $574,672.14 in Stock

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This represents a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Interpublic Group of Companies stock traded up $0.26 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $26.72. 6,487,720 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,397,729. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $26.15 and a fifty-two week high of $35.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $9.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.60 and a beta of 1.11. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $27.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.58.

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 return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.94%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is 72.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IPG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Argus downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Saturday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of IPG. Empirical Finance LLC raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 32,609 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,031,000 after buying an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 55,595 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,558,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares during the period. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC raised its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC now owns 21,236 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $595,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 480 shares during the period. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 3,341 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 573 shares during the period. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.