Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Price Target Cut to $155.00 by Analysts at Barclays

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Free Report) had its target price decreased by Barclays from $163.00 to $155.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Procter & Gamble to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $164.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $179.65.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of PG traded up $0.85 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $161.35. The stock had a trading volume of 7,218,206 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,773,879. Procter & Gamble has a 52 week low of $146.28 and a 52 week high of $180.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company has a market capitalization of $379.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.45. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $169.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $169.39.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The company reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.03. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.25% and a net margin of 17.07%. The company had revenue of $21.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.83 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Procter & Gamble will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.48%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 1,992 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $338,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 13,783 shares in the company, valued at $2,343,110. This trade represents a 12.63 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total value of $8,604,804.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 39,977 shares in the company, valued at $7,189,463.68. This trade represents a 54.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 75,439 shares of company stock worth $13,317,460. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the second quarter worth $36,000. Costello Asset Management INC grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2,142.9% during the third quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 314 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the second quarter valued at $58,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.