Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 18,980,000 shares, an increase of 21.0% from the January 31st total of 15,680,000 shares. Currently, 9.8% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,490,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.6 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Omnicom Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in OMC. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Omnicom Group by 50.1% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,973,061 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $513,922,000 after purchasing an additional 1,992,695 shares during the last quarter. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Omnicom Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $150,819,000. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Omnicom Group by 250.1% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,010,547 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $172,987,000 after purchasing an additional 1,436,231 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Omnicom Group by 91.8% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,147,019 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $184,730,000 after purchasing an additional 1,027,567 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Omnicom Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $79,321,000. Institutional investors own 91.97% of the company's stock.

Omnicom Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE OMC traded up $2.28 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $84.90. 7,341,236 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,804,101. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.00. The company has a market cap of $16.68 billion, a PE ratio of 11.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.98. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $84.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $94.33. Omnicom Group has a 1-year low of $79.57 and a 1-year high of $107.00.

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Omnicom Group (NYSE:OMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The business services provider reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.38 by $0.03. Omnicom Group had a net margin of 9.44% and a return on equity of 36.39%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.20 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Omnicom Group will post 8.25 EPS for the current year.

Omnicom Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. Omnicom Group's payout ratio is 37.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

OMC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Omnicom Group from $119.00 to $116.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Macquarie restated an "outperform" rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of Omnicom Group in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Omnicom Group from $121.00 to $110.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Argus lowered shares of Omnicom Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Omnicom Group from $110.00 to $99.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $108.25.

About Omnicom Group

Omnicom Group Inc, together with its subsidiaries, offers advertising, marketing, and corporate communications services. It provides a range of services in the areas of advertising and media, precision marketing, commerce and branding, experiential, execution and support, public relations, and healthcare.