Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Sees Strong Trading Volume Following Strong Earnings

Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday following a better than expected earnings announcement. Approximately 2,230,964 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 67% from the previous session’s volume of 6,802,599 shares.The stock last traded at $154.47 and had previously closed at $157.29.

The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $20.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.43 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 34.04% and a net margin of 17.60%. Procter & Gamble’s revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.37 EPS.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.59%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Procter & Gamble from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. StockNews.com cut shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $168.53.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In other news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 776 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.11, for a total value of $122,693.36. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,859 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $768,256.49. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 776 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.11, for a total value of $122,693.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,859 shares in the company, valued at approximately $768,256.49. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 101,704 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.57, for a total transaction of $15,618,683.28. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 163,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,097,637.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 279,063 shares of company stock worth $43,187,745. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PG. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 1.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $366.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.33, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $159.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $152.83.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

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.