The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have issued a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $181.47.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on PG shares. Barclays increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Procter & Gamble from $173.00 to $172.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, February 10th.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. This represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total value of $6,078,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. This represents a 61.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock valued at $23,988,008. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,671,883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $280,291,000 after purchasing an additional 137,682 shares during the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 162,627 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,265,000 after purchasing an additional 13,068 shares during the last quarter. Members Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at $725,000. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at $929,000. Finally, Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 10,799 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,811,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of PG stock opened at $169.70 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $167.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $169.81. Procter & Gamble has a one year low of $153.52 and a one year high of $180.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $397.92 billion, a PE ratio of 27.02, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The business had revenue of $21.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.84 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast 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 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were given a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is currently 64.01%.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.