Procter & Gamble Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:PG)

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock investors purchased 28,394 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 39% compared to the typical volume of 20,439 call options.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PG traded up $0.47 during trading on Monday, hitting $176.06. The company had a trading volume of 6,278,646 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,589,411. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.73. Procter & Gamble has a 52 week low of $141.45 and a 52 week high of $177.04. The company has a market cap of $415.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.77, a PEG ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.41. The business’s 50-day moving average is $168.26 and its 200 day moving average is $164.72.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.71% and a return on equity of 33.46%. The firm had revenue of $20.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.37 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Procter & Gamble will post 6.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 19th were issued a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 19th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays cut their target price on Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $163.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Dbs Bank lowered Procter & Gamble from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Procter & Gamble from $171.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $187.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $177.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.79.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 3,373 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $573,410.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 21,513 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,657,210. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 3,373 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $573,410.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 21,513 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,657,210. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andre Schulten sold 13,041 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $2,216,970.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 37,208 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,325,360. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 375,553 shares of company stock worth $63,829,141 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 64.7% in the 1st quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 196 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Finally, POM Investment Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the second quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

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.