Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Down 0.7%

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)’s share price dropped 0.7% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $162.16 and last traded at $162.69. Approximately 1,507,384 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 6,868,543 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.84.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Barclays upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Raymond James upped their price target on Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $168.00 price objective on the stock. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.76.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.4 %

The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $160.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $154.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $388.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.87, a P/E/G ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.69.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.10. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 33.91%. The firm had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.37 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.45%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is 65.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total transaction of $4,581,309.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,507 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,265.43. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total transaction of $4,581,309.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,507 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,858,265.43. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 22,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total transaction of $3,549,040.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 36,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,943,835.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 86,865 shares of company stock valued at $14,059,180. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Advantage Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.