Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading 0.1% Higher – Should You Buy?

Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) shot up 0.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $167.29 and last traded at $166.32. 1,300,441 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 7,464,125 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.19.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on PG shares. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $209.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $164.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $180.53.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $389.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.45. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $168.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $169.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

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

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is 64.17%.

Insider Activity

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.73, for a total transaction of $2,210,944.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,595 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,804.35. This represents a 52.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total transaction of $8,604,804.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 39,977 shares in the company, valued at $7,189,463.68. This represents a 54.48 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 151,097 shares of company stock worth $25,635,076. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. WestHill Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. WestHill Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 3,272 shares of the company’s stock worth $549,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Allied Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Allied Investment Advisors LLC now owns 62,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,419,000 after buying an additional 587 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth about $579,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth about $1,789,000. Finally, Callahan Advisors LLC increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Callahan Advisors LLC now owns 93,733 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,714,000 after acquiring an additional 813 shares in the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.