The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Shares Sold by Nuveen Asset Management LLC

Nuveen Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 11,405,785 shares of the company’s stock after selling 377,627 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble accounts for 0.5% of Nuveen Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Nuveen Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $1,912,180,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 106,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,806,000 after acquiring an additional 8,546 shares during the last quarter. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $1,331,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $1,005,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 27.1% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 433,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,593,000 after buying an additional 92,417 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MJP Associates Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 9,485 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,590,000 after buying an additional 357 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 1.4%

PG opened at $158.67 on Wednesday. The Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $156.58 and a one year high of $180.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76. The company has a market capitalization of $372.01 billion, a PE ratio of 25.27, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $165.33 and its 200-day moving average is $167.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $19.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.42 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. Procter & Gamble’s revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.52 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.0568 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is currently 66.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total value of $3,089,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,785,274.66. This represents a 44.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total value of $161,380.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 51,965 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,386,111.70. This trade represents a 1.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 64,520 shares of company stock valued at $10,999,268 in the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Procter & Gamble from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $164.00 to $177.00 in a report on Friday, April 25th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Erste Group Bank lowered Procter & Gamble from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $200.00 to $181.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 target price on Procter & Gamble and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.52.

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.