Cohen Capital Management Inc. Trims Stock Position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Cohen Capital Management Inc. cut its position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 70,528 shares of the company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble accounts for about 2.0% of Cohen Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Cohen Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $10,335,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wyrmwood Management LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Mendota Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 636.6% during the fourth quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC now owns 302 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 206.6% in the fourth quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 281 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock traded up $2.42 on Monday, hitting $160.56. The stock had a trading volume of 8,925,924 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,958,951. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $141.45 and a one year high of $163.14. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $159.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $153.13. The stock has a market cap of $377.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.24, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.44.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $20.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.43 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 33.77%. The company’s revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.37 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.53 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.51%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on PG. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $168.00 target price for the company. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Procter & Gamble from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com cut Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $168.76.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 101,704 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.57, for a total value of $15,618,683.28. Following the sale, the insider now owns 163,428 shares in the company, valued at $25,097,637.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 74,443 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.30, for a total transaction of $11,412,111.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $149,160.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 101,704 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.57, for a total value of $15,618,683.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 163,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,097,637.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 279,063 shares of company stock worth $43,187,745. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Procter & Gamble 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.