J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Lowers Stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG reduced its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 419,285 shares of the company's stock after selling 14,750 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble comprises 1.2% of J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $70,276,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PG. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 4,506,764 shares of the company's stock valued at $755,571,000 after acquiring an additional 87,770 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 31.3% in the 4th quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 107,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,099,000 after acquiring an additional 25,715 shares in the last quarter. Select Asset Management & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $236,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 494,279 shares of the company's stock worth $82,876,000 after purchasing an additional 31,319 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 49.1% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 181,799 shares of the company's stock worth $30,479,000 after purchasing an additional 59,881 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on PG shares. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays reissued an "equal weight" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Procter & Gamble from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $181.50.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 3.7 %

PG traded down $6.14 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $159.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 20,063,484 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,095,670. The stock's 50-day moving average is $168.31 and its 200-day moving average is $168.43. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1 year low of $156.61 and a 1 year high of $180.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $374.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.41, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.57 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.42 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.52 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a $1.0568 dividend. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.65%. Procter & Gamble's payout ratio is presently 67.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total transaction of $6,078,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,829,817.68. This represents a 61.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.