West Oak Capital LLC Increases Holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

West Oak Capital LLC grew its stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 55,595 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 435 shares during the quarter. West Oak Capital LLC’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $1,558,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of IPG. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 4,136 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $131,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.9% during the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 14,058 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $445,000 after buying an additional 399 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 52.5% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,177 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC raised its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 32,609 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,031,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

IPG opened at $26.86 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $29.01 and its 200 day moving average is $30.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $10.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.67 and a beta of 1.11. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $26.30 and a 12-month high of $35.17.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.70. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 27.76%. The company’s revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.70 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.91%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is 62.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $36.00 to $33.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.50 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Sunday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Macquarie restated a “neutral” rating and set a $31.00 price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $32.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Profile

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.