Empowered Funds LLC Raises Stock Holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 16.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 161,933 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,942 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble accounts for 0.4% of Empowered Funds LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $27,148,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 416.1% during the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 1,818,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $315,016,000 after purchasing an additional 1,466,115 shares in the last quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 49.9% in the third quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 80,820 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,996,000 after acquiring an additional 26,910 shares during the period. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 2.6% in the third quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 3,617 shares of the company’s stock valued at $608,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 1.5% in the third quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 87,368 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,132,000 after acquiring an additional 1,301 shares during the period. Finally, First Affirmative Financial Network lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 23.1% in the third quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 8,434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,461,000 after acquiring an additional 1,581 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $180.53.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 11,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,804.35. This trade represents a 52.47 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $14,819,328.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at $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. Insiders sold 151,097 shares of company stock valued at $25,635,076 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock opened at $167.99 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $393.91 billion, a PE ratio of 26.75, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 12 month low of $153.52 and a 12 month high of $180.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $167.30 and a 200 day moving average of $169.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.66 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The business 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is 64.17%.

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.