Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Down 1.2% - Here's Why

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report)'s share price dropped 1.2% on Monday . The company traded as low as $159.19 and last traded at $161.82. Approximately 4,440,610 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 36% from the average daily volume of 6,935,051 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.75.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $209.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Barclays reissued an "equal weight" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $181.50.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $168.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $168.66. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $390.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.54, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last released its 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 analysts' expectations of $21.66 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The firm's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.0568 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.54%. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at $28,313,845.76. This trade represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total value of $6,078,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. The trade was a 61.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PG. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. 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.