The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Hold" from the nine analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $33.50.

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Barclays raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $38.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of IPG traded down $0.45 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $27.11. The stock had a trading volume of 3,107,141 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,064,083. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 52-week low of $26.30 and a 52-week high of $35.17. The business's fifty day moving average is $28.09 and its 200 day moving average is $29.74. The firm has a market cap of $10.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.82 and a beta of 1.11.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.87%. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to repurchase up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 139.5% during the fourth quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 13,210,446 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $370,157,000 after acquiring an additional 7,693,636 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 25,637.0% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 7,403,256 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $207,439,000 after acquiring an additional 7,374,491 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 15.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,844,859 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $943,993,000 after acquiring an additional 3,920,975 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 133.6% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 5,402,201 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $150,393,000 after acquiring an additional 3,089,387 shares during the period. Finally, Magnetar Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 12,548.6% during the 4th quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 2,425,247 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $67,955,000 after buying an additional 2,406,073 shares during the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.