Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Down 0.3%

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) shares were down 0.3% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $163.02 and last traded at $163.43. Approximately 818,439 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 6,550,750 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.90.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $187.00 price target on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial raised shares of Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Monday, March 11th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.72.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

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 company’s 50 day moving average price is $165.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $159.15. The company has a market cap of $385.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.41.

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

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th were paid a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 18th. 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 2.47%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is 65.85%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total value of $4,581,309.81. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,507 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,858,265.43. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Sundar G. Raman sold 31,924 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.95, for a total value of $5,329,711.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 19,042 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,179,061.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total value of $4,581,309.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 11,507 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,858,265.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 154,544 shares of company stock valued at $25,413,051 in the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $17,696,000. Dfpg Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Dfpg Investments LLC now owns 24,892 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,680,000 after buying an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. Campbell Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Campbell Wealth Management now owns 1,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. now owns 26,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,897,000 after buying an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 29.0% in the 1st quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 43,202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,010,000 after buying an additional 9,716 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

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.