CENTRAL TRUST Co Trims Stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

CENTRAL TRUST Co lessened its position in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 9.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 213,304 shares of the company's stock after selling 21,982 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble accounts for 0.9% of CENTRAL TRUST Co's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. CENTRAL TRUST Co's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $35,760,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. Costello Asset Management INC lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2,142.9% in the third quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 314 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 58.0% in the fourth quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC now owns 376 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 138.7% during the third quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 401 shares of the company's stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on PG shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $180.53.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 1.8 %

PG traded up $2.91 during trading on Monday, hitting $168.90. 8,668,582 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,440,821. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $168.34 and a 200 day moving average of $169.41. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 12-month low of $153.52 and a 12-month high of $180.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $396.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The business had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. Procter & Gamble's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is currently 64.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total transaction of $8,604,804.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,189,463.68. This trade represents a 54.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total transaction of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. This represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 151,097 shares of company stock valued at $25,635,076. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.