Zacks Research Has Negative Forecast for IPG Q1 Earnings

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note issued on Wednesday, March 5th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the business services provider will post earnings of $0.37 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.59. The consensus estimate for Interpublic Group of Companies’ current full-year earnings is $2.66 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Interpublic Group of Companies’ Q4 2025 earnings at $0.84 EPS.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on IPG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 3.2 %

IPG stock opened at $28.20 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $27.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.48. The company has a market cap of $10.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.41 and a beta of 1.14. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 12-month low of $26.15 and a 12-month high of $35.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

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%.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.68%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is 72.13%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,845,263.86. This trade represents a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Interpublic Group of Companies

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of IPG. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter worth about $32,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company 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.