O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Sells 22,933 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 17.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 109,053 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 22,933 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC's holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $3,056,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of IPG. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings 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 valued at $207,439,000 after buying an additional 7,374,491 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position 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 valued at $943,993,000 after acquiring an additional 3,920,975 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 133.6% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 5,402,201 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $150,393,000 after purchasing an additional 3,089,387 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 12,548.6% in the fourth quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 2,425,247 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $67,955,000 after purchasing an additional 2,406,073 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $51,794,000. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 2.4 %

IPG stock traded up $0.57 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $23.85. 1,875,329 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,845,983. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market cap of $8.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.04 and a beta of 1.01. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.71 and a 1 year high of $33.05. The firm's 50 day moving average is $27.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.66.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $155.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to repurchase up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is 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 paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.54%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 72.13%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This trade represents a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $38.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, Argus cut Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $33.50.

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.