The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Sold by Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY

Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY lowered its stake in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,700,854 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 72,842 shares during the quarter. Interpublic Group of Companies comprises 1.6% of Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY's holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY owned 0.46% of Interpublic Group of Companies worth $47,658,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 25,637.0% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 7,403,256 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $207,439,000 after acquiring an additional 7,374,491 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 15.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,844,859 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $943,993,000 after purchasing an additional 3,920,975 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 10.5% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,402,349 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $139,246,000 after purchasing an additional 417,741 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $9,041,000. Finally, Vest Financial LLC increased its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 31.5% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 1,205,662 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $33,783,000 after buying an additional 289,014 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company's stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:IPG traded down $0.38 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $26.79. 7,017,893 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,951,173. The stock has a market cap of $9.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.64 and a beta of 1.11. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $26.30 and a fifty-two week high of $35.17. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $28.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 7.44% and a return on equity of 27.76%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has initiated a stock 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 often a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.93%. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IPG has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price target for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $38.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Finally, Macquarie reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $31.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $33.75.

Interpublic Group of Companies 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.