The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Sold by Metis Global Partners LLC

Metis Global Partners LLC lowered its position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 43.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,664 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 9,712 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $355,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,844,859 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $943,993,000 after buying an additional 3,920,975 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,426,923 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $393,064,000 after buying an additional 270,857 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,449,534 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $298,107,000 after buying an additional 81,265 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 25,637.0% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 7,403,256 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $207,439,000 after buying an additional 7,374,491 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,402,349 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $139,246,000 after purchasing an additional 417,741 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This trade represents a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IPG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Saturday, March 1st. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Argus downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Interpublic Group of Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

IPG opened at $27.18 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $10.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.85 and a beta of 1.11. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $26.15 and a fifty-two week high of $35.17. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $27.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

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