Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at StockNews.com

Investment analysts at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) in a report released on Wednesday. The brokerage set a "hold" rating on the business services provider's stock.

IPG has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Argus downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $33.50.

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Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:IPG traded down $0.88 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $23.70. 7,813,621 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,004,418. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $27.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.95 and a beta of 1.01. Interpublic Group of Companies has a fifty-two week low of $23.67 and a fifty-two week high of $33.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $155.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of IPG. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake 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 valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. GeoWealth Management LLC increased its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 3,341 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 573 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter valued at $107,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company's stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company 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.