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

Analysts at StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) in a research note issued on Tuesday. The brokerage set a "hold" rating on the business services provider's stock.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. BNP Paribas raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $38.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Argus downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $33.50.

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Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE IPG traded down $0.11 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $26.29. The stock had a trading volume of 5,081,165 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,912,508. The company has a market capitalization of $9.80 billion, a PE ratio of 14.37 and a beta of 1.14. Interpublic Group of Companies has a twelve month low of $25.85 and a twelve month high of $33.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $27.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.97.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last announced 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 research analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $155.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to repurchase up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Interpublic Group of Companies

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total transaction of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Interpublic Group of Companies

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in 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 last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $60,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 243,700.0% in the 3rd quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 2,437 shares in the last quarter. 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.