Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Price Target Raised to $159.00

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Free Report) had its target price upped by Barclays from $155.00 to $159.00 in a research report report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group reduced their target price on Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $209.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $164.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, October 21st. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $176.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $180.25.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.9 %

Procter & Gamble stock traded up $1.46 during trading on Thursday, hitting $166.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,502,011 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,679,161. The stock's fifty day moving average is $168.97 and its 200 day moving average is $169.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.75. Procter & Gamble has a 1-year low of $152.06 and a 1-year high of $180.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $391.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.45.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.07% and a return on equity of 33.25%. The business had revenue of $21.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21,657,595.49 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Procter & Gamble will post 6.92 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.48%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total value of $8,604,804.48. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 39,977 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,189,463.68. This trade represents a 54.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.73, for a total value of $2,210,944.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 11,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,804.35. This represents a 52.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PG. Acorn Creek Capital LLC boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 2.8% during the third quarter. Acorn Creek Capital LLC now owns 2,170 shares of the company's stock valued at $376,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 1.1% in the third quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 5,561 shares of the company's stock worth $963,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.7% in the third quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 3,554 shares of the company's stock valued at $616,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,699 shares of the company's stock worth $1,507,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 11.2% during the third quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 605 shares of the company's stock valued at $105,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.