The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $181.47.

Several research firms have weighed in on PG. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective 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. dropped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Erste Group Bank raised Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on Procter & Gamble from $173.00 to $172.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total value of $3,089,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,785,274.66. This represents a 44.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 quarter. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock opened at $166.60 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $390.66 billion, a PE ratio of 26.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. Procter & Gamble has a 12 month low of $153.52 and a 12 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $167.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $169.69.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced 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. The firm 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Procter & Gamble will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

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 2.42%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.01%.

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.