Aviva PLC Has $25.24 Million Holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Aviva PLC trimmed its position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 900,845 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 18,298 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned 0.24% of Interpublic Group of Companies worth $25,242,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $107,000. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 7,037 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $197,000 after buying an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $203,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the business’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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of IPG stock opened at $23.70 on Monday. 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 Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $23.67 and a 52 week high of $33.05. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $27.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $28.71. The company has a market capitalization of $8.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.95 and a beta of 1.01.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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, analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $155.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.57%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IPG has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays upgraded 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.50.

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.