Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC Takes $375,000 Position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC acquired a new stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 13,400 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $375,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 480 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $107,000. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 7,037 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $197,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total transaction of $574,672.14. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,845,263.86. This trade represents a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Remove Ads

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Down 5.3 %

NYSE:IPG traded down $1.33 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $23.64. 2,156,352 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,873,796. The company has a fifty day moving average of $26.62 and a 200 day moving average of $28.49. 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 twelve month low of $22.51 and a twelve month high of $33.05. The company has a market capitalization of $8.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 1.01.

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

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.58%. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 72.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com started coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Thursday. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Barclays upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. 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 four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $33.50.

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.