Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Stock Price Down 0.2% – Here’s Why

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) fell 0.2% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $166.50 and last traded at $167.20. 1,163,018 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 6,951,182 shares. The stock had previously closed at $167.53.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on PG. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $209.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $180.53.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.8 %

The company has a market cap of $395.83 billion, a PE ratio of 26.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $167.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $169.44.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The firm had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.66 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

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 issued 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 2.38%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is currently 64.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total transaction of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at $28,313,845.76. This represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total value of $8,604,804.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,977 shares in the company, valued at $7,189,463.68. This trade represents a 54.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 151,097 shares of company stock worth $25,635,076 over the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PG. Acorn Creek Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Acorn Creek Capital LLC now owns 2,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $376,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 5,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $963,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,807 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,812,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.7% in the third quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,507,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 605 shares of the company’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.