The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Short Interest Update

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 19,600,000 shares, an increase of 22.4% from the January 31st total of 16,010,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 7,120,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days. Approximately 0.8% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total transaction of $6,078,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. The trade was a 61.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. This trade represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. 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. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 321.7% in the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Procter & Gamble from $173.00 to $172.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $181.11.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of PG stock traded up $1.65 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $174.83. The company had a trading volume of 6,988,989 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,341,849. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $166.64 and a 200-day moving average of $169.69. The company has a market capitalization of $409.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.84, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.45. Procter & Gamble has a 12-month low of $153.52 and a 12-month high of $180.43.

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

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.01%.

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.