Citigroup Cuts Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Price Target to $181.00

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Free Report) had its price target reduced by Citigroup from $200.00 to $181.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Citigroup currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $209.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Erste Group Bank raised Procter & Gamble from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $180.79.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

PG traded up $1.51 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $161.04. 12,892,765 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,124,247. 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 has a 12 month low of $156.58 and a 12 month high of $180.43. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $168.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $168.32. The stock has a market cap of $377.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 EPS 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 business had revenue of $19.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.42 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.52 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Procter & Gamble will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.98%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total value of $3,089,880.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,785,274.66. The trade was a 44.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kampmann Melissa S. grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 0.8% in the first quarter. Kampmann Melissa S. now owns 26,659 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,543,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 60.0% during the 1st quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 270,716 shares of the company's stock worth $46,135,000 after purchasing an additional 101,498 shares in the last quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 47.7% during the first quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd now owns 11,618 shares of the company's stock worth $1,980,000 after buying an additional 3,750 shares during the last quarter. Cypress Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.0% during the first quarter. Cypress Capital LLC now owns 15,714 shares of the company's stock worth $2,678,000 after buying an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.7% in the first quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 9,647 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,644,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Procter & Gamble

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.