6,800 Shares in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Purchased by Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 6,800 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $222,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 14.5% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 23,035 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $817,000 after acquiring an additional 2,915 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $243,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $133,000. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 52,667 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,867,000 after buying an additional 3,244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 63,184 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,240,000 after buying an additional 595 shares during the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $1,300,654.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 88,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,844,870. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $4,842,976.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at $13,387,987.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $1,300,654.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 88,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,844,870. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 249,646 shares of company stock valued at $8,038,601. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $30.72 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $31.98 and a 200-day moving average of $31.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $27.20 and a 1 year high of $40.95. The company has a market capitalization of $11.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.13.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.57 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 10.09% and a return on equity of 30.52%. The company’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.02 EPS. On average, equities research 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on IPG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $35.25.

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.