The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Purchased by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 998,829 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,392 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. owned about 0.26% of Interpublic Group of Companies worth $32,602,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $256,699,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1,196.9% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,280,702 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $222,651,000 after acquiring an additional 5,796,432 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 462.8% during the 2nd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,939,546 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $74,829,000 after acquiring an additional 1,594,945 shares during the period. Black Creek Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 14.1% during the 3rd quarter. Black Creek Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,722,563 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $278,649,000 after acquiring an additional 1,204,630 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 29.3% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,885,776 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $162,745,000 after acquiring an additional 1,108,179 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $1,300,654.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 88,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,844,870. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 18,382 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $591,900.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 42,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,364,958. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $1,300,654.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 88,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,844,870. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 249,646 shares of company stock worth $8,038,601 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $30.72 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $27.20 and a twelve month high of $40.95. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $31.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.30. The firm has a market cap of $11.59 billion, a PE ratio of 10.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.13.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.02. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 10.09%. The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.57 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.02 EPS. Interpublic Group of Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This is a positive change from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is currently 46.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.25.

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.