StockNews.com Initiates Coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG)

Equities researchers at StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG – Get Rating) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 6th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $39.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 14th. Moffett Nathanson lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $36.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Friday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. Finally, Bank of America raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $22.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $39.25.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

NYSE:IPG opened at $33.22 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.11. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 52-week low of $25.14 and a 52-week high of $39.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $36.22 and a 200 day moving average of $32.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 9th. The business services provider reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $2.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.55 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 30.58% and a net margin of 8.58%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.82 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Interpublic Group of Companies

In related news, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 16,507 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total transaction of $586,658.78. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 55,406 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,969,129.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 16,507 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total transaction of $586,658.78. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 55,406 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,969,129.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 38,885 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.61, for a total value of $1,384,694.85. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 111,769 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,980,094.09. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 85,829 shares of company stock worth $3,053,693 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Spire Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 29.7% during the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,153 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 22.2% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,734 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 11,732 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $391,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 8,114 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $207,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares during the period. Finally, Paradigm Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Paradigm Financial Partners LLC now owns 25,420 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $685,000 after acquiring an additional 380 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.75% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company Profile

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Interpublic Group of Cos., Inc engages in the provision of advertising and marketing services. The firm specializes in consumer advertising, digital marketing, communications planning and media buying, public relations and specialized communications disciplines. It operates through the following segments: Integrated Agency Network (IAN), IPG DXTRA, and Corporate and Other.