The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Shares Sold by Guardian Investment Management

Guardian Investment Management lessened its holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 17,135 shares of the company’s stock after selling 820 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble accounts for approximately 2.0% of Guardian Investment Management’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Guardian Investment Management’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $2,873,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of PG. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the third quarter worth $33,000. Costello Asset Management INC boosted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 2,142.9% in the third quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter worth about $58,000. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 58.0% during the 4th quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC now owns 376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

NYSE PG opened at $161.35 on Tuesday. The Procter & Gamble Company has a fifty-two week low of $146.28 and a fifty-two week high of $180.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $379.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.45. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $169.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.75.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 18th. The company reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.03. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.07% and a return on equity of 33.25%. The firm had revenue of $21.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.83 earnings per share. Procter & Gamble’s quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.48%.

Insider Activity

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.99, for a total transaction of $2,163,072.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,566 shares in the company, valued at $1,954,538.34. This trade represents a 52.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total transaction of $8,604,804.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 39,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,189,463.68. This represents a 54.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 73,447 shares of company stock valued at $12,978,820. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on PG shares. Barclays dropped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $163.00 to $155.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $176.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.65.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.