Geode Capital Management LLC Grows Stock Position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,531,530 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 81,996 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.56% of Interpublic Group of Companies worth $266,614,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 297,680 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $8,341,000 after acquiring an additional 1,743 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 156.4% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,056,905 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $29,614,000 after purchasing an additional 644,621 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 30.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,109,155 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $31,079,000 after buying an additional 260,312 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 133,888 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,721,000 after buying an additional 1,267 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 61.6% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,422,568 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $39,860,000 after buying an additional 542,164 shares in the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,845,263.86. This trade represents a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities 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 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Argus lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Thursday. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock traded down $1.17 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $23.80. 725,312 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,042,290. The business has a fifty day moving average of $26.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.49. The company has a market capitalization of $8.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.02 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.51 and a 1 year high of $33.05.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. As a group, research analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to repurchase $155.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to buy up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.55%. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 72.13%.

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.