Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Hold Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Saturday morning.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group cut shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $34.00 to $29.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Barclays dropped their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.50 to $32.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $34.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Interpublic Group of Companies from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $36.00 to $33.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $30.57.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:IPG traded down $0.24 during trading on Friday, hitting $29.83. 3,709,165 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,046,329. The company has a market capitalization of $11.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 1-year low of $28.00 and a 1-year high of $35.17. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $30.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.67.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 27.76%. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.70 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.43%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. Interpublic Group of Companies's payout ratio is presently 62.26%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in IPG. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 426,349 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $13,485,000 after acquiring an additional 37,323 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $294,000. LMR Partners LLP bought a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $479,000. Quest Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 418.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 6,878 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $218,000 after buying an additional 5,552 shares during the period. Finally, AM Squared Ltd increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 63.2% in the 3rd quarter. AM Squared Ltd now owns 3,100 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the period. 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.