The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Sold by MMA Asset Management LLC

MMA Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 47.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,449 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 8,664 shares during the quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $265,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter valued at about $60,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 243,700.0% during the third quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 2,437 shares in the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE:IPG opened at $27.40 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $27.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.62. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $26.30 and a 52 week high of $35.17. The company has a market capitalization of $10.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.97 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 EPS 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.82%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on IPG shares. 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 research note on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Saturday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Barclays raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company 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.