Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Sets New 1-Year Low - Here's What Happened

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $22.71 and last traded at $23.28, with a volume of 8811980 shares. The stock had previously closed at $23.70.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on IPG. Argus cut Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $38.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Thursday. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.50.

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Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Up 2.2 %

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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $26.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $28.40. The company has a market capitalization of $9.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.43 and a beta of 1.01.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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%. Research analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.13%.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the business's 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Curat Global LLC acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $318,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the first quarter valued at about $31,000. NBC Securities Inc. raised its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 106,420.0% in the first quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 5,326 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $144,000 after purchasing an additional 5,321 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 5.9% during the first quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 85,560 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,324,000 after purchasing an additional 4,792 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 14.0% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 800,856 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $21,751,000 after purchasing an additional 98,384 shares in the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by 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.