Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Purchases 59,881 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 49.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 181,799 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 59,881 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble makes up approximately 0.6% of Tower Research Capital LLC TRC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $30,479,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,807 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,812,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Tevis Investment Management grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Tevis Investment Management now owns 11,633 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,950,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 2,078 shares of the company’s stock valued at $348,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alhambra Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 5,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $970,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. This trade represents a 61.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 143,450 shares of company stock valued at $23,988,008 in the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

NYSE:PG opened at $170.59 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $168.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $168.48. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 12 month low of $156.69 and a 12 month high of $180.43. The firm has a market cap of $400.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $1.0568 dividend. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.48%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on PG shares. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $209.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, March 27th. 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. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.50.

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.