Guidance Capital Inc. Boosts Holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Guidance Capital Inc. raised its position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 1.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 13,697 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble makes up 0.8% of Guidance Capital Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Guidance Capital Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $2,129,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 1.0 %

Procter & Gamble stock traded down $1.70 during trading on Friday, reaching $164.92. 9,253,317 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,088,934. The company’s 50-day moving average is $165.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $158.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.69. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $141.45 and a 52-week high of $169.41. The firm has a market cap of $389.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.95, a PEG ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.42.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.43 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.91% and a net margin of 18.00%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.37 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th were given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 18th. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is presently 65.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Argus lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $187.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Monday, March 11th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.72.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 855 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Monday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.50, for a total transaction of $135,517.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $634,634. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 855 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.50, for a total transaction of $135,517.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,004 shares in the company, valued at $634,634. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 9,149 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.72, for a total value of $1,534,470.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 12,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,168,451.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 154,544 shares of company stock worth $25,413,051. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Procter & Gamble

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.