The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Sold by Avantax Advisory Services Inc.

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. decreased its position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 31.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,045 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 10,661 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $646,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 243,700.0% in the third quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 2,437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $107,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the firm’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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This trade represents a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $26.51 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $9.88 billion, a PE ratio of 14.48 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $27.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.11. 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 Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $25.85 and a 12 month high of $33.27.

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

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

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is 72.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IPG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Argus downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.50.

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.