Strategic Blueprint LLC Buys New Holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Strategic Blueprint LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 6,368 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $208,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Clear Street Markets LLC grew its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 94.9% during the 1st quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 764 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, First Manhattan CO. LLC. grew its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1,176.5% during the 1st quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 1,085 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IPG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group initiated coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Thursday, January 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 price target for the company. Barclays lifted their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $35.25.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of IPG stock opened at $30.45 on Friday. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $27.20 and a 52-week high of $40.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.13. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $32.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.22.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.02. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 10.09%. The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.57 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.02 EPS. Interpublic Group of Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. This is a positive change from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 18,382 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $591,900.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 42,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,364,958. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 40,468 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $1,303,069.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 70,431 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,267,878.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 18,382 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $591,900.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 42,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,364,958. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 249,646 shares of company stock valued at $8,038,601 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies 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.