Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 45,179 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Natixis Advisors LLC cut its holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 10.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 384,330 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 45,179 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.10% of Interpublic Group of Companies worth $10,769,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% in the fourth 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 period. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter worth about $60,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 243,700.0% during the third quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 2,437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter worth about $107,000. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of IPG traded up $0.04 on Friday, hitting $26.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 42,353,534 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,657,196. The company has a market capitalization of $9.88 billion, a PE ratio of 14.48 and a beta of 1.14. 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 Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $25.85 and a fifty-two week high of $33.05. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $27.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.09.

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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 EPS 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, research analysts anticipate 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 program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $155.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to buy up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies's payout ratio is currently 72.13%.

Insider Transactions at Interpublic Group of Companies

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $38.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Interpublic Group of Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.50.

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.