Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Buys 307,800 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 21.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,741,225 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 307,800 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned about 0.07% of Procter & Gamble worth $291,916,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 229,794,073 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,524,976,000 after purchasing an additional 1,592,061 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Procter & Gamble by 7.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 55,204,776 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,538,327,000 after purchasing an additional 3,619,466 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,244,463,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Procter & Gamble by 10.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 18,988,721 shares of the company's stock worth $3,290,573,000 after purchasing an additional 1,760,214 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 18,692,813 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,133,850,000 after purchasing an additional 312,203 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. This trade represents a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total transaction of $6,078,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at $3,829,817.68. This represents a 61.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Procter & Gamble from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays restated an "equal weight" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $181.82.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Procter & Gamble stock traded up $1.75 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $169.78. The company had a trading volume of 2,734,211 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,873,212. The firm has a market cap of $398.10 billion, a PE ratio of 27.04, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $168.60 and a 200 day moving average of $169.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $153.52 and a one year high of $180.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The firm had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.37%. Procter & Gamble's payout ratio is presently 64.01%.

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.