Larson Financial Group LLC Boosts Stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 18.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,335 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,443 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $430,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of IPG. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 31,648 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,001,000 after buying an additional 3,499 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 48.8% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 41,258 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,305,000 after buying an additional 13,537 shares during the period. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $207,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 298.4% in the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 35,194 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,113,000 after buying an additional 26,360 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:IPG opened at $28.22 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $26.15 and a 12 month high of $35.17. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $27.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.44. The company has a market cap of $10.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.42 and a beta of 1.14.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. As a group, equities research analysts predict 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 has authorized a share buyback program 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 purchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 143,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,845,263.86. This represents a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on IPG. UBS Group raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Argus downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies 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.