Gradient Investments LLC Grows Holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Gradient Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 12.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 486,902 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 52,931 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC owned approximately 0.13% of Interpublic Group of Companies worth $13,643,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of IPG. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 4,136 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $131,000 after buying an additional 365 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.9% in the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 14,058 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $445,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 52.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,177 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 405 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC grew its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.3% during the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 32,609 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,031,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Finally, West Oak Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 55,595 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,558,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on IPG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $36.00 to $33.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Monday, January 20th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $31.00 target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.00.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

NYSE IPG opened at $28.55 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.63 billion, a PE ratio of 13.47 and a beta of 1.11. 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 Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $26.30 and a 12 month high of $35.17. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $28.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.03.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.76% and a net margin of 7.44%. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.70 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.26%.

Interpublic Group of Companies 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.