Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Down 0.6%

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) shares fell 0.6% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $163.43 and last traded at $163.47. 1,228,106 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 6,851,735 shares. The stock had previously closed at $164.46.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on PG shares. Raymond James increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $169.76.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 0.4 %

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $160.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $154.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $389.54 billion, a PE ratio of 26.97, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.10. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 33.91%. The firm had revenue of $20.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.37 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company 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 $1.0065 dividend. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.69%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total transaction of $4,581,309.81. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 11,507 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,265.43. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total value of $4,581,309.81. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,507 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,265.43. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 22,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total transaction of $3,549,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,943,835.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 140,112 shares of company stock worth $22,841,321 in the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 64.7% in the first quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 196 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Wyrmwood Management LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% 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.