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

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) dropped 0.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $165.34 and last traded at $165.63. Approximately 1,055,508 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 6,513,972 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.52.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $177.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $187.00 price target on the stock. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.74.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 0.8 %

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $166.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $159.90. The company has a market cap of $390.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.06, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

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

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 19th will be given a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 19th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total transaction of $4,581,309.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 11,507 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,858,265.43. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,858,265.43. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 855 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.50, for a total value of $135,517.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,004 shares in the company, valued at $634,634. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 154,544 shares of company stock valued at $25,413,051. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PG. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $17,696,000. Dfpg Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Dfpg Investments LLC now owns 24,892 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,680,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares during the period. Campbell Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Campbell Wealth Management now owns 1,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $291,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the period. Herold Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. now owns 26,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,897,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 29.0% in the 1st quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 43,202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,010,000 after purchasing an additional 9,716 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.