Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Now Covered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) in a report published on Friday. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the business services provider's stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on IPG. UBS Group lowered shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $34.00 to $29.00 in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Macquarie restated a "neutral" rating and set a $31.00 target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays reduced their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.50 to $32.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. BNP Paribas cut Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $31.71.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 1.5 %

IPG stock traded down $0.44 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $28.11. 2,975,014 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,317,646. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.26 and a beta of 1.10. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 52-week low of $26.88 and a 52-week high of $35.17. The business has a 50 day moving average of $29.52 and a 200-day moving average of $30.22. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.70. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.76% and a net margin of 7.44%. Interpublic Group of Companies's quarterly revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.70 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.70%. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.26%.

Institutional Trading of Interpublic Group of Companies

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IPG. State Street Corp boosted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,844,859 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $943,993,000 after acquiring an additional 3,920,975 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 571.7% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,466,376 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $42,657,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248,062 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 19.8% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 5,436,803 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $158,157,000 after purchasing an additional 899,332 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 13.8% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,842,846 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $199,063,000 after purchasing an additional 828,150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 168.3% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 831,434 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $24,186,000 after buying an additional 521,546 shares during the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.