The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) is Orion Investment Co’s 5th Largest Position

Orion Investment Co boosted its position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,355 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 968 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble comprises approximately 4.0% of Orion Investment Co’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Orion Investment Co’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $9,951,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of PG. AllGen Financial Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. AllGen Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 22,553 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,781,000 after purchasing an additional 427 shares in the last quarter. Broderick Brian C grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Broderick Brian C now owns 102,218 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,137,000 after buying an additional 1,808 shares in the last quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 23,271 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,901,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Conquis Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $140,000. Finally, Yoffe Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $1,874,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of PG opened at $172.17 on Friday. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1 year low of $153.52 and a 1 year high of $180.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $169.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $169.29. The firm has a market cap of $403.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.42, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.66 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on PG. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $182.00.

Insider Activity

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

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

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.