Xponance Inc. Sells 7,540 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Xponance Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 8.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 87,047 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 7,540 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $2,841,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in IPG. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 85.6% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 229,511 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,491,000 after purchasing an additional 105,858 shares in the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 30.9% in the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 392,769 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $12,820,000 after acquiring an additional 92,692 shares in the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 32.5% in the third quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 99,678 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,857,000 after acquiring an additional 24,459 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 16.2% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 338,048 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $9,688,000 after acquiring an additional 47,184 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 212.9% during the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 827,224 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $23,708,000 after purchasing an additional 562,823 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Interpublic Group of Companies

In related news, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 40,468 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $1,303,069.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 70,431 shares in the company, valued at $2,267,878.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value 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 $13,387,987.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 40,468 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 value of $1,303,069.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 70,431 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,267,878.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 249,646 shares of company stock worth $8,038,601 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on IPG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target 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. UBS Group initiated 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 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $35.25.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of IPG stock opened at $30.72 on Monday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $11.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.78, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.13. 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 50-day simple moving average of $31.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.32.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its 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 company had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.57 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 10.09%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.02 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. 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 dividend yield of 4.30%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.32%.

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.