StockNews.com Downgrades Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) to Hold

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Thursday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Barclays lowered their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $163.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen started coverage on Procter & Gamble in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $189.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $157.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $177.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Argus lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.00.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 3.1 %

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock traded up $4.93 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $165.69. The stock had a trading volume of 12,218,356 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,619,929. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $166.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $161.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $391.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Procter & Gamble has a 1 year low of $141.45 and a 1 year high of $170.92.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $20.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.69 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.33% and a net margin of 17.71%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.37 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Procter & Gamble will post 6.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In other news, CEO Sundar G. Raman sold 31,924 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 19,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,179,061.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 9,149 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.72, for a total transaction of $1,534,470.28. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,168,451.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Sundar G. Raman sold 31,924 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 19,042 shares in the company, valued at $3,179,061.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 94,320 shares of company stock valued at $15,646,323. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PG. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 64.7% in the first quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 196 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Criterion Capital 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 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.