Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Down 3.3% - Here's What Happened

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) dropped 3.3% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $163.15 and last traded at $165.41. Approximately 4,333,107 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 38% from the average daily volume of 6,943,431 shares. The stock had previously closed at $171.02.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PG has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $180.53.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 4.8 %

The business's 50 day moving average is $166.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $381.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.93, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last issued 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. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The firm had revenue of $21.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. Procter & Gamble's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 172,814 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. This trade represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.73, for a total value of $2,210,944.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,595 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,804.35. This represents a 52.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 151,097 shares of company stock worth $25,635,076. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 933.3% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Hoey Investments Inc. grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

About Procter & Gamble

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.