Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Up 0.2% - What's Next?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) shares shot up 0.2% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $168.43 and last traded at $168.00. 1,177,336 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 6,398,865 shares. The stock had previously closed at $167.71.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on PG. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $164.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $181.47.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 0.6 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $390.66 billion, a PE ratio of 26.53, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $167.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $169.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

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Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The business had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.66 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. The business's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.42%. Procter & Gamble's payout ratio is currently 64.01%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total transaction of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. The trade was a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total transaction of $3,089,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,785,274.66. This trade represents a 44.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock valued at $23,988,008 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PG. Swedbank AB raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,503,647 shares of the company's stock valued at $260,432,000 after purchasing an additional 56,583 shares in the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 8,327 shares of the company's stock worth $1,442,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,734,588 shares of the company's stock worth $820,031,000 after acquiring an additional 608,168 shares in the last quarter. United Bank raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. United Bank now owns 13,367 shares of the company's stock worth $2,315,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,250,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.