International Assets Investment Management LLC Purchases Shares of 49,776 The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 49,776 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,525,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Clear Street Markets LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, First Manhattan CO. LLC. boosted its stake in shares of 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 worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of IPG stock opened at $30.72 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $27.20 and a 52 week high of $40.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.59 billion, a PE ratio of 10.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $31.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.32.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.02. The company 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 firm’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.02 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.33 per share. This is a boost from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is 46.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on IPG. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $35.25.

Insider Transactions at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other news, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 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 transaction of $4,842,976.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,387,987.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 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 transaction of $4,842,976.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,387,987.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 70,431 shares in the company, valued at $2,267,878.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 249,646 shares of company stock valued at $8,038,601. 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.