Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Up 2.3% - What's Next?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 2.3% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $169.77 and last traded at $170.23. 1,665,178 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 7,037,228 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.39.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on PG. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $209.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Procter & Gamble from $173.00 to $172.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "equal weight" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $181.50.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

The stock's fifty day moving average is $168.39 and its 200-day moving average is $168.51. 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 cap of $400.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.16, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.84 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $1.0568 per share. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 35,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $3,829,817.68. This trade represents a 61.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at $28,313,845.76. This trade represents a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PG. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. raised its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at about $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.