The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Short Interest Up 22.4% in February

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 19,600,000 shares, a growth of 22.4% from the January 31st total of 16,010,000 shares. Currently, 0.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 7,120,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. This trade represents a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total transaction of $6,078,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,829,817.68. This trade represents a 61.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of PG. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

PG traded up $0.64 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $175.30. 5,740,483 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,341,034. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55. Procter & Gamble has a 12 month low of $153.52 and a 12 month high of $180.43. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $166.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $169.72. The stock has a market cap of $411.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.45.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The business had revenue of $21.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.66 billion. The business’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.84 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Procter & Gamble will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $164.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $173.00 to $172.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 24th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, February 10th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $209.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.11.

About Procter & Gamble

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.