Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Stock Price Up 0.5% - Here's Why

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded up 0.5% on Monday . The company traded as high as $161.75 and last traded at $161.35. 7,218,206 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 28% from the average session volume of 5,628,331 shares. The stock had previously closed at $160.50.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Procter & Gamble from $167.00 to $161.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $179.65.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.5 %

The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $169.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $169.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company has a market capitalization of $379.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.82, a PEG ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.45.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The company reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $21.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.99 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.07% and a return on equity of 33.25%. Procter & Gamble's revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.83 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.50%. Procter & Gamble's payout ratio is currently 69.48%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 1,992 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $338,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 13,783 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,343,110. This represents a 12.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 39,977 shares in the company, valued at $7,189,463.68. The trade was a 54.48 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 75,439 shares of company stock valued at $13,317,460 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Costello Asset Management INC increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2,142.9% in the third quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 314 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter valued at $58,000. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 58.0% during the 4th quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC now owns 376 shares of the company's stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in 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.