Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Trading 2.3% Higher - Should You Buy?

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report)'s stock price rose 2.3% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $26.98 and last traded at $26.88. Approximately 595,529 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 4,892,928 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.29.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IPG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Argus lowered shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $38.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $33.50.

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Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 3.6 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $27.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.80. The stock has a market cap of $8.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.95 and a beta of 1.14.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.57%. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to repurchase $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of IPG. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in shares of 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 period. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 3,341 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 573 shares during the period. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $102,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.