The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank decreased its stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,061,000 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 60,300 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.28% of Interpublic Group of Companies worth $29,729,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $60,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 243,700.0% during the 3rd quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 2,437 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $107,000. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 approximately $3,845,263.86. This represents a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on IPG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. BNP Paribas raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $38.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Argus cut shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of IPG traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $26.51. 42,353,116 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,660,357. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $25.85 and a twelve month high of $33.29. 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 company has a market capitalization of $9.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.48 and a beta of 1.14. The business's 50-day moving average price is $27.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.16.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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, sell-side analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $155.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Interpublic Group of Companies Profile

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.