Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Stock Price Up 0.3% Following Analyst Upgrade

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)’s share price rose 0.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday after Evercore ISI raised their price target on the stock from $177.00 to $183.00. Evercore ISI currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Procter & Gamble traded as high as $170.10 and last traded at $169.92. Approximately 948,189 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 6,472,772 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.44.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Argus upped their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $187.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $171.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays boosted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $177.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $172.55.

Insider Activity

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total value of $4,581,309.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 11,507 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,265.43. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 855 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.50, for a total value of $135,517.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,004 shares in the company, valued at approximately $634,634. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total transaction of $4,581,309.81. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 11,507 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,858,265.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 154,544 shares of company stock valued at $25,413,051. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PG. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 64.7% during the 1st quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 196 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.3 %

The company has a market capitalization of $401.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.41. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $166.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $160.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.91% and a net margin of 18.00%. The company had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.43 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.37 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, July 19th will be issued a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 19th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.85%.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.