StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG)

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) in a research report released on Sunday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the business services provider's stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Macquarie reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $31.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. BNP Paribas raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $38.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday. Barclays lowered their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.50 to $32.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their target price for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $36.00 to $33.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $32.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:IPG traded down $0.84 during trading on Friday, hitting $26.69. 6,783,747 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,385,625. The business's 50 day moving average is $29.06 and its 200-day moving average is $30.10. The company has a market capitalization of $9.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.59 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 1-year low of $26.60 and a 1-year high of $35.17.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.70. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 27.76%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.70 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.95%. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.26%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IPG. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.0% in the second quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 50,523 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,470,000 after purchasing an additional 1,002 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the second quarter worth $257,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 190.7% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 6,921 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $200,000 after purchasing an additional 4,540 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the second quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. increased its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 6.5% during the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 68,974 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,006,000 after acquiring an additional 4,233 shares during the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.