Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Announces Earnings Results

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.04), Zacks reports. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.76% and a net margin of 7.44%.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

NYSE IPG traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $27.08. 5,974,636 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,899,489. The company has a market cap of $10.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.77 and a beta of 1.11. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 12-month low of $26.30 and a 12-month high of $35.17. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $28.30 and a 200 day moving average of $29.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.87%. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.26%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to buyback $155.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on IPG shares. Macquarie reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $31.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Thursday. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. BNP Paribas raised shares of 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. Barclays raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.50.

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.