Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC Lowers Holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC reduced its stake in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 12.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,193 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,300 shares during the period. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $1,541,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. PYA Waltman Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. PYA Waltman Capital LLC now owns 17,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,998,000 after buying an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,347 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,076,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Grove Street Fiduciary LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $242,000. Compass Capital Corp MA ADV acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,373,000. Finally, Cordatus Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 26,840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,499,000 after acquiring an additional 976 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 172,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,313,845.76. The trade was a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total transaction of $8,604,804.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,977 shares in the company, valued at $7,189,463.68. This represents a 54.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $209.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group decreased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $180.53.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Procter & Gamble stock opened at $167.26 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $392.21 billion, a PE ratio of 26.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.45. The Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $153.52 and a one year high of $180.43. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $166.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $169.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

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

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.41%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is presently 64.17%.

Procter & Gamble 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.