Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Upgraded by UBS Group to Neutral Rating

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) was upgraded by equities research analysts at UBS Group from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Finviz reports.

IPG has been the subject of several other reports. StockNews.com started coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Barclays raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.75.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Interpublic Group of Companies stock traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $26.67. 1,509,237 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,817,064. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.90. Interpublic Group of Companies has a fifty-two week low of $26.30 and a fifty-two week high of $35.17. The stock has a market cap of $9.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.58 and a beta of 1.11. 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 (NYSE:IPG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.76% and a net margin of 7.44%. On average, research analysts expect that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to repurchase $155.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to buy up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Interpublic Group of Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of IPG. AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 70.3% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 253,172 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,008,000 after purchasing an additional 104,514 shares during the period. Swedbank AB increased its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.1% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 613,367 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $19,401,000 after buying an additional 12,431 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 0.4% during the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 122,533 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,876,000 after buying an additional 457 shares during the period. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 6.2% during the third quarter. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC now owns 41,555 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,314,000 after buying an additional 2,412 shares during the period. Finally, ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,070,781 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,869,000 after acquiring an additional 74,843 shares during the period. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company 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.