Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $207.97 Million Position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,422,468 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 333,347 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 1.99% of Interpublic Group of Companies worth $207,974,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 12,975,872 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $363,584,000 after acquiring an additional 1,492,019 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,612 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $213,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115 shares during the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC raised its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 3,341 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 573 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 139.5% during the 4th quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 13,210,446 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $370,157,000 after buying an additional 7,693,636 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $10,033,000. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Friday, April 18th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $38.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Argus downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $33.67.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

IPG stock opened at $23.90 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company's 50-day moving average is $25.99 and its 200-day moving average is $28.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.91 billion, a PE ratio of 13.06 and a beta of 1.01. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.51 and a 1 year high of $33.05.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 EPS 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%. Equities research analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.52%. Interpublic Group of Companies's payout ratio is 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the company's 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 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.

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