Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Down 0.5% on Insider Selling

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) shares traded down 0.5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $159.42 and last traded at $160.64. 1,437,864 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 6,895,417 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.50.

Specifically, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total transaction of $4,581,309.81. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,507 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,858,265.43. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total value of $620,719.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,886 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,908,891.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total transaction of $4,581,309.81. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,507 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,265.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 100,865 shares of company stock worth $16,029,280. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Argus upped their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $168.00 target price on the stock. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $169.76.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

The firm’s 50-day moving average is $159.57 and its 200 day moving average is $153.39. The stock has a market cap of $383.64 billion, a PE ratio of 26.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.69.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.43 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 33.91%. Procter & Gamble’s quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.37 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.48%. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.85%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 115,417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,726,000 after purchasing an additional 6,692 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 7.2% in the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 15,693 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,546,000 after purchasing an additional 1,058 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 1st quarter valued at about $224,000. One Day In July LLC increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 15.6% in the 1st quarter. One Day In July LLC now owns 1,828 shares of the company’s stock valued at $297,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategy Asset Managers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 5,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $819,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

About Procter & Gamble

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.