The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Sold by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC lessened its holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 301,390 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 23,315 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC owned about 0.08% of Interpublic Group of Companies worth $8,445,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of IPG. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $60,000. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 250.0% in the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,100 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 31.8% during the third quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,356 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com began coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Thursday. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. 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. Finally, Barclays raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of IPG traded up $0.22 during trading on Thursday, reaching $27.00. 8,243,862 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,064,716. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.90. The stock has a market cap of $10.06 billion, a PE ratio of 12.74 and a beta of 1.11. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $26.30 and a twelve month high of $35.17. 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 (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 27.76%. On average, analysts anticipate that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.8 earnings per share for the current 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 dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.26%.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to repurchase up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.