Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Sells 4,745 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. reduced its stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 0.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,286,466 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,745 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 2.42% of Interpublic Group of Companies worth $303,110,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of IPG. Black Creek Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 14.1% in the 3rd quarter. Black Creek Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,722,563 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $278,649,000 after buying an additional 1,204,630 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 24.6% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,635,459 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $132,852,000 after acquiring an additional 916,574 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 212.9% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 827,224 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $23,708,000 after acquiring an additional 562,823 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC increased its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1,439,200.0% during the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 503,755 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $16,443,000 after acquiring an additional 503,720 shares during the period. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $14,408,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Interpublic Group of Companies

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $1,300,654.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 88,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,844,870. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction 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 approximately $2,844,870. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction 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 $13,387,987.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 249,646 shares of company stock worth $8,038,601. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of IPG traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $31.00. The stock had a trading volume of 1,828,263 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,971,139. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.70 billion, a PE ratio of 11.02, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.13. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $27.20 and a 12 month high of $40.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company’s 50-day moving average is $31.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.48.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 29.70% and a net margin of 9.97%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.38 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.26%. This is a positive change from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is presently 46.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on IPG. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.13.

Interpublic Group of Companies 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.