Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Decreases Holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 41.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 49,127 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 34,319 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.'s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $1,377,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Empirical Finance LLC increased its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.3% in the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 32,609 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,031,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares during the period. West Oak Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 55,595 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,558,000 after buying an additional 435 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Proactive Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Proactive Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 11,094 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $311,000 after acquiring an additional 607 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 11,507 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $322,000 after acquiring an additional 630 shares during the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on IPG. Barclays upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Argus lowered shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. BNP Paribas raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $38.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, UBS Group raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $33.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at $3,845,263.86. This represents a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE IPG traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $26.66. 5,498,454 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,146,417. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $25.85 and a one year high of $33.28. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $27.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.19. The company has a market cap of $9.94 billion, a PE ratio of 14.57 and a beta of 1.14.

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

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies's payout ratio is currently 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to buyback $155.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to repurchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.