PGGM Investments Reduces Stock Holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

PGGM Investments lessened its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 32.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 107,674 shares of the company's stock after selling 50,836 shares during the quarter. PGGM Investments' holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $18,052,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. now owns 300,209 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,330,000 after acquiring an additional 34,645 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 67,966 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,395,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 540,920 shares of the company's stock worth $90,382,000 after purchasing an additional 12,416 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Achmea Investment Management B.V. raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 272,943 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,759,000 after purchasing an additional 5,462 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of PG opened at $168.35 on Thursday. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 12 month low of $153.52 and a 12 month high of $180.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $167.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.83. The company has a market cap of $394.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.81, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41.

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Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.66 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.84 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.39%. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is presently 64.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and set a $209.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $181.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total transaction of $14,819,328.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at $28,313,845.76. This trade represents a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total value of $3,089,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,785,274.66. This trade represents a 44.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock valued at $23,988,008 in the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.

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