Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Acquires Shares of 53,405 The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 53,405 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,496,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IPG. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter worth approximately $60,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 243,700.0% during the third quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 2,437 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter worth $107,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at $3,845,263.86. This trade represents a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on IPG. Barclays raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Argus downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. BNP Paribas raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com began coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Monday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $26.45 on Friday. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $25.85 and a one year high of $33.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The business has a fifty day moving average of $27.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.16. The company has a market cap of $9.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.45 and a beta of 1.14.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. As a group, analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase 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 reacquire up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.13%.

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.