Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Raised to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday.

IPG has been the subject of a number of other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Interpublic Group of Companies from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $36.00 to $33.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Barclays cut their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $26.00 target price (down previously from $28.00) on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Macquarie reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $31.00 target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lowered 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $30.57.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of IPG traded down $0.55 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $29.40. The stock had a trading volume of 3,577,932 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,922,461. The company's 50-day moving average is $31.21 and its 200 day moving average is $30.70. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 12-month low of $27.84 and a 12-month high of $35.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a market capitalization of $10.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.97 and a beta of 1.09.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.51% and a net margin of 7.44%. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.70 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.49%. Interpublic Group of Companies's payout ratio is currently 62.26%.

Institutional Trading of Interpublic Group of Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 73.8% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 883 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 652.2% during the 2nd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 1,038 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 52.5% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,177 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company's stock.

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.