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

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

IPG has been the topic of a number of other reports. Argus downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the company 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 target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.50.

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Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock traded up $0.35 on Tuesday, hitting $26.28. 6,813,586 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,670,182. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $27.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.04. The company has a market cap of $9.79 billion, a PE ratio of 14.36 and a beta of 1.14. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 52 week low of $25.85 and a 52 week high of $33.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to buyback $155.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to repurchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This represents 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 hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in IPG. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,844,859 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $943,993,000 after acquiring an additional 3,920,975 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 42,496 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,191,000 after purchasing an additional 1,238 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 240.9% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 28,862 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $913,000 after purchasing an additional 20,395 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 69.5% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 7,294 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $204,000 after buying an additional 2,991 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP boosted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 956.5% in the third quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 104,734 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $3,313,000 after acquiring an additional 94,821 shares during the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.