Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Up 0.3% - Should You Buy?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 0.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $170.16 and last traded at $169.62. 895,801 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 7,027,452 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.13.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $209.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target 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. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $181.50.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 2.5 %

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $168.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.51. The company has a market capitalization of $400.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The company had revenue of $21.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.66 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.48%. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,785,274.66. This trade represents a 44.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at $28,313,845.76. The trade was a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PG. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA now owns 236,616 shares of the company's stock worth $38,833,000 after acquiring an additional 2,179 shares during the period. Strategic Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 55,912 shares of the company's stock worth $9,374,000 after purchasing an additional 1,818 shares during the period. Copley Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter worth about $668,000. Fortem Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $569,000. Finally, Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 123,853 shares of the company's stock worth $20,764,000 after purchasing an additional 2,568 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.