Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Rating Increased to Buy at Erste Group Bank

Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. TD Cowen downgraded Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $150.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $177.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut 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 report on Monday, December 8th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.33.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 1.8%

PG stock opened at $156.74 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $364.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.30 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $148.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $150.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.51. Procter & Gamble has a 12 month low of $137.62 and a 12 month high of $179.99.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.36 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.88 EPS. Procter & Gamble’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. Procter & Gamble has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.830-7.090 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Procter & Gamble will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 23rd were issued a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 23rd. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.67%.

Insider Activity

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.00, for a total value of $1,264,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 6,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,038,218. This trade represents a 54.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 15,169 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.28, for a total transaction of $2,461,625.32. Following the sale, the insider owned 44,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,259,595.80. The trade was a 25.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 341,260 shares of company stock valued at $54,256,985 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PG. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at $1,849,000. Widmann Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in Procter & Gamble by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Widmann Financial Services Inc. now owns 14,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,143,000 after purchasing an additional 471 shares during the last quarter. Blue Sparrow LLC DE purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at about $15,606,000. Summit Global Investments boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 81.4% during the 4th quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 12,478 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,788,000 after purchasing an additional 5,599 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtue Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 110.2% during the fourth quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 8,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,224,000 after buying an additional 4,526 shares in the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Procter & Gamble News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group upgraded PG from “hold” to “buy,” providing immediate buy-side momentum and signaling analyst confidence in the name. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights a potential growth catalyst: P&G’s push into digital retail and e‑commerce (using data and AI) that could help reignite volume growth over time — a strategic narrative investors like for sustainable revenue/margin upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Ongoing analyst support: several brokerages have raised ratings/targets in recent months (Jefferies, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley among them) and the consensus price target sits above current levels, which cushions downside and attracts buyers.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention is elevated — Zacks notes PG is among the most‑searched stocks recently; that can increase intraday volume and volatility but is not a clear directional signal. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent results/guidance remain mixed: Q3 results slightly beat EPS estimates but revenue lagged; FY2026 EPS guide is in place — fundamentals aren’t deteriorating materially, so news flow (rather than fundamentals) is driving short‑term moves. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 15,169 shares at about $162.28 (≈$2.46M) on Feb. 13, a 25% reduction in his holding — a visible near‑term negative signal for sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader insider sales reported (including large, multi‑million dollar sales by senior executives) amplify selling pressure and likely explain much of the day’s weakness as investors read these as reduced insider conviction. Read More. Read More.

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.