The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Shares Acquired by Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC

Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 44,759 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble comprises about 1.2% of Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $6,559,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

NYSE:PG traded down $1.26 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $161.29. The stock had a trading volume of 5,659,784 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,820,118. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $159.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.51. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 12-month low of $141.45 and a 12-month high of $164.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The stock has a market cap of $380.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.44.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. The firm 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 33.91%. Procter & Gamble’s quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.37 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is presently 65.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Argus raised their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 22nd. StockNews.com cut shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $169.76.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.00, for a total transaction of $7,020,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $151,788. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.00, for a total value of $7,020,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $151,788. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total transaction of $620,719.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,886 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,908,891.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 100,865 shares of company stock worth $16,029,280. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

About Procter & Gamble

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.