Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Downgraded to "Hold" Rating by Argus

Argus lowered shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on IPG. UBS Group raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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 note on Monday, January 27th. Macquarie reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $31.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. They set a "hold" rating for the company. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:IPG traded down $0.49 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $27.08. The company had a trading volume of 6,038,184 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,156,288. The stock has a market cap of $10.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.80 and a beta of 1.11. Interpublic Group of Companies has a one year low of $26.30 and a one year high of $35.17. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick 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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has initiated 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 repurchase up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.88%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.13%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.