Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Stock Price Up 0.5% – Should You Buy?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)’s share price shot up 0.5% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $167.84 and last traded at $167.41. 1,059,542 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 6,633,207 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.58.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on PG shares. Wolfe Research raised shares of Procter & Gamble to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. DA Davidson upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $159.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. TD Cowen started coverage on Procter & Gamble in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $189.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $182.00 to $175.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $177.00.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

The stock’s fifty day moving average is $170.32 and its 200-day moving average is $168.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $399.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.24, a PEG ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 0.42.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 18th. The company reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $21.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.99 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.25% and a net margin of 17.07%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.83 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th were issued a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 18th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.48%.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CFO Andre Schulten sold 13,041 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $2,216,970.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 37,208 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,325,360. This represents a 25.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 450 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.22, for a total value of $76,149.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,072 shares in the company, valued at $2,212,043.84. The trade was a 3.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 313,597 shares of company stock worth $53,268,499. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. The company 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, SK-II, and Native brands.