Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) in a research note published on Saturday. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the business services provider’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on IPG. Barclays lowered their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.50 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group lowered shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $34.00 to $29.00 in a report on Thursday, September 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $36.00 to $33.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. BNP Paribas cut shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.00 target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Interpublic Group of Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.71.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Down 0.7 %

Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $27.94 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Interpublic Group of Companies has a fifty-two week low of $26.88 and a fifty-two week high of $35.17. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $29.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.17. The firm has a market cap of $10.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.18 and a beta of 1.11.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.70. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.76% and a net margin of 7.44%. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.70 earnings per share. Interpublic Group of Companies’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is 62.26%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 73.8% in the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 883 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 652.2% during the 2nd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 1,038 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 52.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,177 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Media, Data & Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions. The Media, Data & Engagement Solutions segment provides media and communications services, digital services and products, advertising and marketing technology, e-commerce services, data management and analytics, strategic consulting, and digital brand experience under the IPG Mediabrands, UM, Initiative, Kinesso, Acxiom, Huge, MRM, and R/GA brand names.