Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Up 1.9% - Should You Buy?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 1.9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $179.99 and last traded at $178.99. Approximately 4,522,034 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 28% from the average daily volume of 6,294,777 shares. The stock had previously closed at $175.59.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on PG. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and set a $209.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $164.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $181.11.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.9 %

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $166.52 and a 200 day moving average of $169.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $409.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

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

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given 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 2.30%. Procter & Gamble's payout ratio is currently 64.01%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In other news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total transaction of $3,089,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,785,274.66. This represents a 44.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 143,450 shares of company stock valued at $23,988,008 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,807 shares of the company's stock worth $1,812,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,995 shares of the company's stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,738 shares of the company's stock valued at $962,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Retirement Planning Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 4,704 shares of the company's stock valued at $789,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tevis Investment Management lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Tevis Investment Management now owns 11,633 shares of the company's stock worth $1,950,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. 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.