Clearbridge Investments LLC Has $563.59 Million Stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Clearbridge Investments LLC trimmed its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,361,809 shares of the company’s stock after selling 323,713 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned 0.14% of Procter & Gamble worth $563,586,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PG. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 95.3% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC now owns 207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Procter & Gamble by 972.0% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 268 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE PG opened at $167.94 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The Procter & Gamble Company has a twelve month low of $153.52 and a twelve month high of $180.43. The company’s fifty day moving average is $168.60 and its 200-day moving average is $169.35. The stock has a market cap of $393.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The company had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.40%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is 64.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total value of $6,078,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. This trade represents a 61.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total transaction of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. The trade was a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock valued at $23,988,008. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.82.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.