Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Boosts Holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,938,530 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 511,607 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 3.47% of Interpublic Group of Companies worth $362,538,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 55.0% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 42,137 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,333,000 after purchasing an additional 14,950 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 31,648 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,001,000 after buying an additional 3,499 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 153,332 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,606,000 after buying an additional 9,393 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 80,775 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,555,000 after acquiring an additional 4,241 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $206,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total transaction of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,845,263.86. This represents a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. BNP Paribas raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com started coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Saturday, March 1st. They set a “hold” rating for the company. UBS Group raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Argus downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Up 1.7 %

Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $27.18 on Thursday. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $26.15 and a one year high of $35.17. The business’s fifty day moving average is $27.76 and its 200 day moving average is $29.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.13 billion, a PE ratio of 14.85 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to buyback $155.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.86%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 72.13%.

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.