BTG Pactual Asset Management US LLC Makes New Investment in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

BTG Pactual Asset Management US LLC acquired a new stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 43,412 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,216,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,938,530 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $362,538,000 after buying an additional 511,607 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 10,264,732 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $287,618,000 after purchasing an additional 1,320,345 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,531,530 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $266,614,000 after purchasing an additional 81,996 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 25,637.0% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 7,403,256 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $207,439,000 after purchasing an additional 7,374,491 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 133.6% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 5,402,201 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $150,393,000 after purchasing an additional 3,089,387 shares during the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total transaction of $574,672.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This represents a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 2.8 %

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock traded up $0.64 on Friday, hitting $23.91. 4,458,689 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,115,915. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.51 and a 12-month high of $33.05. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $26.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.22. The company has a market cap of $8.91 billion, a PE ratio of 13.07 and a beta of 1.01.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. Sell-side analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $155.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Argus downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.67.

Interpublic Group of Companies Profile

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Media, Data & Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions. The Media, Data & Engagement Solutions segment provides media and communications services, digital services and products, advertising and marketing technology, e-commerce services, data management and analytics, strategic consulting, and digital brand experience under the IPG Mediabrands, UM, Initiative, Kinesso, Acxiom, Huge, MRM, and R/GA brand names.