Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Stock Price Up 0.4% - Time to Buy?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) shares were up 0.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $161.71 and last traded at $161.71. Approximately 1,685,004 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 7,103,522 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.02.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on PG. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Procter & Gamble from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $164.00 to $177.00 in a research note on Friday. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $200.00 to $181.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $180.79.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

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 stock has a market capitalization of $378.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $168.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.32.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $19.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.42 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The company's revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.52 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.62%. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is currently 66.98%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total value 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. The trade was a 61.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $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.

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