DnB Asset Management AS Purchases 29,240 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

DnB Asset Management AS grew its position in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 6.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 459,646 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 29,240 shares during the quarter. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $77,060,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,807 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,812,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Tevis Investment Management grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Tevis Investment Management now owns 11,633 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,950,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 2,078 shares of the company’s stock valued at $348,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alhambra Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 5,785 shares of the company’s stock valued at $970,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

NYSE:PG opened at $168.85 on Friday. The Procter & Gamble Company has a twelve month low of $153.52 and a twelve month high of $180.43. 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 stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $168.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $169.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $395.92 billion, a PE ratio of 26.89, a price-to-earnings-growth 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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $21.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.66 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.84 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The company 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. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total transaction of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,313,845.76. This trade represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total value of $3,089,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,785,274.66. The trade was a 44.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on PG shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $164.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $209.00 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.82.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

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.