Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading 0.3% Higher

Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) traded up 0.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $156.94 and last traded at $155.95. 6,103,296 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 0% from the average session volume of 6,114,070 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.45.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $168.53.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average price is $159.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $152.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $362.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 17.60% and a return on equity of 34.04%. The firm’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.37 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.45 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a $1.0065 dividend. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.62%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 101,704 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.57, for a total value of $15,618,683.28. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 163,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,097,637.96. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total transaction of $620,719.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 11,886 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,908,891.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 101,704 shares of Procter & Gamble 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 163,428 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,097,637.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 279,063 shares of company stock valued at $43,187,745. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PG. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

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.