Sei Investments Co. Has $12.72 Million Stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Sei Investments Co. cut its holdings in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 37.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 454,077 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 271,828 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co. owned 0.12% of Interpublic Group of Companies worth $12,723,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $107,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 39.3% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,991 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $126,000 after acquiring an additional 1,125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 7,037 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $197,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares during the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 5.7 %

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock traded down $1.50 during trading on Thursday, hitting $24.55. 5,284,488 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,973,158. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.41 and a beta of 1.14. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $27.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.80. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $24.53 and a 1-year high of $33.05.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to repurchase $155.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to repurchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.38%. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 72.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at $3,845,263.86. This trade represents a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on IPG shares. UBS Group raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Wednesday. They set a "hold" rating for the company. BNP Paribas upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $38.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company Profile

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Media, Data & Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions. The Media, Data & Engagement Solutions segment provides media and communications services, digital services and products, advertising and marketing technology, e-commerce services, data management and analytics, strategic consulting, and digital brand experience under the IPG Mediabrands, UM, Initiative, Kinesso, Acxiom, Huge, MRM, and R/GA brand names.