The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Sold by TCW Group Inc.

TCW Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,046 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 449 shares during the quarter. TCW Group Inc.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $1,177,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of IPG. Marino Stram & Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 26,654 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $870,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 7,364 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $240,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC raised its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 7,364 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $240,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 27.5% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,706 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 368 shares during the period. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 16.3% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on IPG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $4,842,976.60. Following the transaction, 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 accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,844,870. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at $13,387,987.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 249,646 shares of company stock worth $8,038,601. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock traded up $0.30 on Friday, hitting $31.70. 1,901,848 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,936,753. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $31.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.13. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $27.20 and a 1-year high of $40.95.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 29.70% and a net margin of 9.97%. The company had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.38 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 4th will be issued a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.16%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 4th. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.98%.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.