Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Up 2.1% - Time to Buy?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report)'s stock price was up 2.1% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $179.99 and last traded at $179.65. Approximately 2,664,386 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 58% from the average daily volume of 6,350,264 shares. The stock had previously closed at $175.95.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on PG shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $173.00 to $172.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 24th. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and issued a $209.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, February 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $181.11.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

The stock's 50-day moving average is $167.14 and its 200-day moving average is $169.84. The stock has a market cap of $405.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

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Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.66 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. Procter & Gamble's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total transaction 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 approximately $3,785,274.66. This trade represents a 44.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total transaction of $14,819,328.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares of the company's stock, valued at $28,313,845.76. The trade was a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock valued at $23,988,008 over the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 933.3% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the third quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.