Retirement Systems of Alabama Decreases Stock Holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Retirement Systems of Alabama cut its holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 84,410 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,628 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $2,755,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 248,499 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,119,000 after buying an additional 21,726 shares in the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC increased its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 364.5% during the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 4,506 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $147,000 after acquiring an additional 3,536 shares during the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 91,161 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,975,000 after purchasing an additional 1,369 shares during the period. Semanteon Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,263,000. Finally, Stevens Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $257,000. Institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of IPG stock opened at $30.96 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The company has a market capitalization of $11.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.13. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $31.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.48. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $27.20 and a one year high of $40.95.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 29.70% and a net margin of 9.97%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.38 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.26%. This is a positive change from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IPG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group initiated coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Five equities research 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.13.

Insider Activity at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 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 $4,842,976.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,387,987.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 18,382 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 42,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,364,958. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,387,987.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 249,646 shares of company stock worth $8,038,601 over the last three months. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.