Flputnam Investment Management Co. Boosts Stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Flputnam Investment Management Co. boosted its position in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 73.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 30,254 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,845 shares during the quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $988,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 31,778 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 1,404 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 998,829 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $32,602,000 after buying an additional 15,392 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 564,010 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $18,409,000 after buying an additional 24,396 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $757,000. Finally, Simplicity Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 7,364 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $4,842,976.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,387,987.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $4,842,976.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,387,987.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $1,300,654.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 88,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,844,870. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 249,646 shares of company stock worth $8,038,601 in the last three months. 0.35% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:IPG opened at $30.27 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $11.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.62, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $27.20 and a one year high of $40.95. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $32.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.27.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.57 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 10.09%. The company’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.02 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This is an increase from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.36%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is currently 46.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group assumed coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.25.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company Profile

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Media, Data & Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions. The Media, Data & Engagement Solutions segment provides media and communications services, digital services and products, advertising and marketing technology, e-commerce services, data management and analytics, strategic consulting, and digital brand experience under the IPG Mediabrands, UM, Initiative, Kinesso, Acxiom, Huge, MRM, and R/GA brand names.