Capital World Investors Buys 7,060 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,856,211 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 7,060 shares during the quarter. Capital World Investors owned 0.29% of Procter & Gamble worth $1,149,444,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Howard Capital Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.0% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 8,327 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,442,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,734,588 shares of the company's stock valued at $820,031,000 after acquiring an additional 608,168 shares during the period. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the third quarter valued at $201,000. Invst LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 0.7% during the third quarter. Invst LLC now owns 15,889 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,752,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the third quarter worth about $1,632,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays reiterated an "equal weight" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $181.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total value of $6,078,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. This trade represents a 61.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 4.7 %

Shares of NYSE PG traded down $7.81 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $157.93. The company had a trading volume of 9,411,022 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,150,903. The stock has a market cap of $370.31 billion, a PE ratio of 25.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $156.58 and a one year high of $180.43. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $168.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $168.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.57 by ($0.03). Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The company had revenue of $19.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.52 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.20%.

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.