Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Buys 6,706 Shares of PPG Industries, Inc. (NYSE:PPG)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its holdings in shares of PPG Industries, Inc. (NYSE:PPG - Free Report) by 6.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 109,888 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,706 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.'s holdings in PPG Industries were worth $13,126,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in PPG. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of PPG Industries in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in PPG Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new stake in shares of PPG Industries during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in PPG Industries in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in PPG Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 81.86% of the company's stock.

PPG Industries Stock Performance

Shares of PPG stock traded up $2.27 during trading on Thursday, hitting $104.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,010,564 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,282,062. The business has a fifty day moving average of $108.42 and a 200-day moving average of $117.46. The company has a market cap of $23.63 billion, a PE ratio of 22.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.16. PPG Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $90.24 and a 52 week high of $137.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.04). PPG Industries had a return on equity of 23.78% and a net margin of 6.41%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that PPG Industries, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

PPG Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.61%. PPG Industries's payout ratio is 57.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of PPG Industries from $153.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Argus downgraded shares of PPG Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on PPG Industries from $128.00 to $120.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $126.00 price objective (down from $143.00) on shares of PPG Industries in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of PPG Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PPG Industries currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $130.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at PPG Industries

In other news, CEO Timothy M. Knavish sold 4,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.35, for a total transaction of $568,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 35,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,240,835.55. This represents a 11.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

PPG Industries Company Profile

PPG Industries, Inc manufactures and distributes paints, coatings, and specialty materials in the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through two segments, Performance Coatings and Industrial Coatings. The Performance Coatings segment offers coatings, solvents, adhesives, sealants, sundries, and software for automotive and commercial transport/fleet repair and refurbishing, light industrial coatings, and specialty coatings for signs; wood stains; paints, thermoplastics, pavement marking products, and other advanced technologies for pavement marking for government, commercial infrastructure, painting, and maintenance contractors; and coatings, sealants, transparencies, transparent armor, adhesives, engineered materials, and packaging and chemical management services for commercial, military, regional jet, and general aviation aircraft.