The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Shares Acquired by Mediolanum International Funds Ltd

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd boosted its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 36.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 321,920 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 85,961 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble accounts for approximately 0.7% of Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $53,657,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 4.5% in the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 94,109 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,300,000 after acquiring an additional 4,035 shares during the period. Copley Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $668,000. Fortem Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $569,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,898,569 shares of the company's stock valued at $484,583,000 after purchasing an additional 201,695 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 185,134 shares of the company's stock worth $32,065,000 after acquiring an additional 6,077 shares in the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and issued a $209.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $180.53.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total value of $8,604,804.48. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,189,463.68. This trade represents a 54.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.73, for a total value of $2,210,944.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 11,595 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,002,804.35. The trade was a 52.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 151,097 shares of company stock valued at $25,635,076 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock traded up $2.91 on Monday, hitting $168.90. 8,668,582 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,440,821. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1-year low of $153.52 and a 1-year high of $180.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $396.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $168.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.41.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The firm had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. Procter & Gamble's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.38%. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is currently 64.17%.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.