Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) in a research note issued to investors on Monday. The firm issued a hold rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on IPG. BNP Paribas raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Barclays raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Argus downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $26.23 on Monday. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 1 year low of $25.93 and a 1 year high of $33.29. The firm has a market cap of $9.78 billion, a PE ratio of 14.33 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.24.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. Analysts expect that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.03%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is presently 72.13%.

Insider Activity at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IPG. Apollon Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter worth $202,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 18.1% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 706,774 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $22,355,000 after acquiring an additional 108,267 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.2% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 204,066 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $6,454,000 after acquiring an additional 4,349 shares in the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.1% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 22,376 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $708,000 after acquiring an additional 683 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter worth $1,589,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.