Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Rating Increased to Outperform at BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) from an underperform rating to an outperform rating in a research note released on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. BNP Paribas currently has $38.00 price objective on the business services provider’s stock.

IPG has been the subject of several other reports. Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $31.00 price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. UBS Group cut shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $34.00 to $29.00 in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays decreased their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.50 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Saturday, January 4th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $32.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 3.1 %

Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $26.69 on Friday. Interpublic Group of Companies has a one year low of $26.60 and a one year high of $35.17. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $29.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.09. 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 company has a market capitalization of $9.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.59 and a beta of 1.11.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.76% and a net margin of 7.44%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.70 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.95%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.26%.

Institutional Trading of Interpublic Group of Companies

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of IPG. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 49,532 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,388,000 after buying an additional 884 shares in the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 11,799 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $331,000 after acquiring an additional 1,841 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 28,594 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $804,000 after acquiring an additional 2,787 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 7.4% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,277,771 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $72,041,000 after acquiring an additional 157,695 shares during the period. Finally, Copley Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter worth about $485,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.