The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Shares Bought by Wedbush Securities Inc.

Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 10.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 70,313 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 6,456 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc.'s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $11,788,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. raised its stake in Procter & Gamble by 321.7% in the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 95.3% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC now owns 207 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 172,814 shares of the company's stock, valued at $28,313,845.76. This represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total value of $3,089,880.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,785,274.66. The trade was a 44.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

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Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PG traded up $1.20 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $159.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,807,754 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,986,041. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 12-month low of $153.52 and a 12-month high of $180.43. The company has a market cap of $374.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $168.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $168.84.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The business had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.65%. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is currently 64.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $164.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $182.00.

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.