Pinebridge Investments L.P. Sells 36,861 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Pinebridge Investments L.P. trimmed its position in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 19.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 157,609 shares of the company's stock after selling 36,861 shares during the quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P.'s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $26,423,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Howard Capital Management Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 8,327 shares of the company's stock worth $1,442,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,734,588 shares of the company's stock worth $820,031,000 after buying an additional 608,168 shares during the last quarter. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the third quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Invst LLC increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Invst LLC now owns 15,889 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,752,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the third quarter valued at about $1,632,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Procter & Gamble stock traded up $1.51 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $161.04. 12,892,765 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,118,389. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76. The Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $156.58 and a one year high of $180.43. The stock has a market cap of $377.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $168.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.33.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.57 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $19.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.42 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.52 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a $1.0568 dividend. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.62%. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is 67.20%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In other news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total transaction of $6,078,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. This trade represents a 61.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays reissued an "equal weight" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $200.00 to $181.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target 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. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $209.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $180.79.

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.