Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Boosts Holdings in PPG Industries, Inc. (NYSE:PPG)

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in PPG Industries, Inc. (NYSE:PPG - Free Report) by 941.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,681 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 25,024 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in PPG Industries were worth $3,307,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp lifted its position in PPG Industries by 4.4% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,717,499 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,552,100,000 after buying an additional 491,774 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in PPG Industries by 5.7% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,977,010 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,189,095,000 after buying an additional 485,597 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its position in PPG Industries by 68.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 873,902 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $115,757,000 after buying an additional 354,740 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of PPG Industries by 189.6% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 426,834 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $56,538,000 after purchasing an additional 279,455 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of PPG Industries by 65.4% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 523,014 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $62,474,000 after purchasing an additional 206,853 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.86% of the company's stock.

PPG Industries Stock Performance

Shares of PPG Industries stock traded up $0.54 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $120.14. 2,686,240 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,764,164. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $121.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $124.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.24. PPG Industries, Inc. has a one year low of $113.00 and a one year high of $145.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

PPG Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. PPG Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.11%.

Insider Activity at PPG Industries

In related news, VP Anne M. Foulkes sold 1,985 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.80, for a total value of $249,713.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 13,454 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,692,513.20. The trade was a 12.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.56% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on PPG. KeyCorp lowered PPG Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. StockNews.com lowered PPG Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on PPG Industries from $138.00 to $136.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on PPG Industries from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on PPG Industries from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PPG Industries presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $149.23.

PPG Industries Profile

PPG Industries, Inc manufactures and distributes paints, coatings, and specialty materials in the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through two segments, Performance Coatings and Industrial Coatings. The Performance Coatings segment offers coatings, solvents, adhesives, sealants, sundries, and software for automotive and commercial transport/fleet repair and refurbishing, light industrial coatings, and specialty coatings for signs; wood stains; paints, thermoplastics, pavement marking products, and other advanced technologies for pavement marking for government, commercial infrastructure, painting, and maintenance contractors; and coatings, sealants, transparencies, transparent armor, adhesives, engineered materials, and packaging and chemical management services for commercial, military, regional jet, and general aviation aircraft.