Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Stock Price Up 1.3% - Should You Buy?

Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) rose 1.3% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $163.28 and last traded at $162.28. Approximately 2,910,365 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 58% from the average daily volume of 6,955,345 shares. The stock had previously closed at $160.23.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $173.00 to $172.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 24th. Erste Group Bank raised Procter & Gamble from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $181.50.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 2.1 %

The company has a 50 day moving average of $168.35 and a 200 day moving average of $168.62. 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 $391.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.59, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.53%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Procter & Gamble's payout ratio is currently 67.20%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total value of $3,089,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,785,274.66. This represents a 44.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were 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 owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at $28,313,845.76. This represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock valued at $23,988,008. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 229,794,073 shares of the company's stock worth $38,524,976,000 after acquiring an additional 1,592,061 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 56,472,195 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,457,000,000 after purchasing an additional 1,267,419 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $5,244,463,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 29,395,208 shares of the company's stock worth $4,928,107,000 after buying an additional 2,703,757 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,197,996 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,386,194,000 after buying an additional 1,209,275 shares in the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.