Wesleyan Assurance Society Buys 4,640 Shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG)

Wesleyan Assurance Society increased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) by 3.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 126,883 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,640 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble makes up about 1.6% of Wesleyan Assurance Society’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Wesleyan Assurance Society’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $21,623,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,244,463,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 20,758.5% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,951,456 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,355,087,000 after buying an additional 7,913,335 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 62.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 7,398,120 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,240,294,000 after buying an additional 2,846,560 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 29,395,208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,928,107,000 after acquiring an additional 2,703,757 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 16,274,563 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,728,430,000 after acquiring an additional 2,224,912 shares in the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 1.1%

Procter & Gamble stock traded up $1.75 on Tuesday, hitting $156.78. 1,942,750 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,629,345. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $161.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $164.41. The firm has a market cap of $367.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Procter & Gamble Company has a 1 year low of $151.90 and a 1 year high of $180.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.42 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 18.46%. The business’s revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.52 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be paid a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on PG shares. Redburn Partners set a $161.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Procter & Gamble from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $200.00 to $181.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $176.84.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total value of $161,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 51,965 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,386,111.70. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $1,669,208.40. Following the sale, the insider owned 25,182 shares in the company, valued at $3,995,627.94. The trade was a 29.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Procter & Gamble 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.