Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Trims Position in Procter & Gamble Company (The) $PG

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 849,837 shares of the company’s stock after selling 48,363 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble comprises about 2.0% of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $121,790,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter worth about $5,099,644,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 21.4% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 16,374,499 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,608,785,000 after acquiring an additional 2,880,895 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 100.8% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,460,939 shares of the company’s stock worth $782,607,000 after acquiring an additional 2,741,924 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 26.3% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 10,682,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,606,748,000 after acquiring an additional 2,222,560 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 66.3% in the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 5,504,749 shares of the company’s stock worth $877,014,000 after acquiring an additional 2,195,560 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE PG opened at $142.33 on Friday. Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $137.62 and a one year high of $174.80. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $153.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $150.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $330.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.09, a PEG ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.37.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 19.30% and a return on equity of 32.21%. The company had revenue of $22.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.36 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.88 earnings per share. Procter & Gamble’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Friday, January 23rd were given a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 23rd. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is 62.67%.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In other news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 1,809 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.46, for a total value of $288,463.14. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 30,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,818,083.90. This represents a 5.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 5,549 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.29, for a total value of $917,194.21. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,029 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $170,083.41. This trade represents a 84.36% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 348,618 shares of company stock worth $55,462,643 in the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Procter & Gamble News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Procter & Gamble this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Pampers AMORE launch could support pricing power and margin recovery if premium diapers win share and maintain ASPs; a successful rollout would help consumer-staples revenue resilience. Pampers Amore Premium Launch Tests Procter And Gamble Pricing Power
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend-focused coverage highlights PG’s status as a Dividend King with long streak of hikes and a ~60% payout ratio — supportive for income investors and defensive positioning in volatile markets. Dividend Resilience: Why These Kings Are Safe After a Volatile Q1
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage naming PG a “relatively safe dividend stock” reiterates defensive thesis; useful for long-term income holders but not an immediate share-price catalyst. 1 Relatively Safe Dividend Stock Investors Can Buy Now
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group downgraded PG to Hold (from Buy), citing higher energy/input costs and weaker U.S. consumer confidence — a clear near-term negative for analyst sentiment and stock pressure. Erste Group Downgrades Procter & Gamble (PG) on Cost Pressures and Weak Demand
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary described the latest quarter as “squeezably soft” with organic sales stalling — reinforces concerns about demand momentum and margin pressure despite flat EPS year-over-year. Analyst calls P&G’s latest quarter ‘squeezably soft’ as organic sales stall
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/market signals show PG among “oversold” consumer names (RSI below 30), reflecting recent selling pressure that can amplify short-term downside even if fundamentals remain intact. 4 Consumer Favorites Look Oversold Right Now: Disney, McDonald’s and More
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/geopolitical supply risks (Strait of Hormuz closure) could raise input costs for plastics and fertilizers, pressuring margins across staples including PG’s packaging and raw-materials costs. Here Are 7 Ways the Strait of Hormuz Closure Is Affecting Consumer Staples Stocks

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $150.00 to $156.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $164.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $171.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Procter & Gamble from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $157.00 to $165.00 in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $168.33.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) is a multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble, P&G has grown into one of the world’s largest producers of branded consumer packaged goods. The company focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing a broad portfolio of household and personal care products sold to consumers and retailers worldwide.

P&G’s product offering spans several core business categories, including Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric & Home Care, and Baby, Feminine & Family Care.