Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Boosts Stock Position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 634,973 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,726 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $93,049,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in PG. Advantage Trust Co bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,908,891.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total value of $620,719.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,886 shares in the company, valued at $1,908,891.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 22,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total value 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 have sold a total of 181,185 shares of company stock valued at $29,705,503 in the last 90 days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:PG traded down $1.32 during trading on Thursday, hitting $166.49. 2,144,397 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,649,128. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $161.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $155.78. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $141.45 and a 52-week high of $168.54. The company has a market cap of $392.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 33.91%. The company had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.37 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th were issued a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on PG. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Truist Financial upgraded Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Monday, March 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.76.

Procter & Gamble 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.