Natixis Raises Stock Position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Natixis boosted its holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 402.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 531,923 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 426,104 shares during the period. Natixis owned approximately 0.14% of Interpublic Group of Companies worth $14,904,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 139.5% in the fourth quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 13,210,446 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $370,157,000 after purchasing an additional 7,693,636 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 12,975,872 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $363,584,000 after buying an additional 1,492,019 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,938,530 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $362,538,000 after acquiring an additional 511,607 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 10,264,732 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $287,618,000 after acquiring an additional 1,320,345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,531,530 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $266,614,000 after purchasing an additional 81,996 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.43% of the company's stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:IPG traded down $0.60 on Friday, hitting $24.48. 2,124,047 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,119,504. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.98. 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 market cap of $9.12 billion, a PE ratio of 13.36 and a beta of 1.01. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.51 and a 52 week high of $33.05.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.98 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. As a group, research analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies's payout ratio is currently 72.13%.

Insider Activity at Interpublic Group of Companies

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This trade represents a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com began coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Friday, April 18th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Argus cut shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $33.44.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.