Omnicom Group (NYSE:OMC) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Buy”

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Omnicom Group (NYSE:OMC) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday.

Several other analysts have also commented on OMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Omnicom Group from $104.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday. Macquarie raised their price objective on shares of Omnicom Group from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Omnicom Group from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Omnicom Group in a report on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a buy rating and a $117.00 price objective for the company. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Omnicom Group from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and set a $115.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, March 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $103.40.

Omnicom Group Stock Performance

Omnicom Group stock opened at $91.48 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $91.35 and a 200-day moving average of $85.18. The firm has a market cap of $18.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.97. Omnicom Group has a 1-year low of $72.20 and a 1-year high of $99.23.

Omnicom Group (NYSE:OMC) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $4.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4 billion. Omnicom Group had a net margin of 9.96% and a return on equity of 38.83%. Omnicom Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.09 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Omnicom Group will post 7.73 EPS for the current year.

Omnicom Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 8th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. Omnicom Group’s payout ratio is 37.84%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Linda Johnson Rice sold 507 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.66, for a total transaction of $43,936.62. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 9,753 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $845,194.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Omnicom Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Omnicom Group by 5.1% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,434,922 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $631,076,000 after acquiring an additional 362,985 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Omnicom Group by 8.6% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,745,400 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $353,437,000 after acquiring an additional 374,874 shares in the last quarter. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. increased its position in shares of Omnicom Group by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. now owns 4,197,767 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $363,148,000 after acquiring an additional 42,075 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its position in Omnicom Group by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,727,701 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $277,726,000 after purchasing an additional 664,800 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Omnicom Group by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,067,410 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $260,361,000 after purchasing an additional 20,584 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.97% of the company’s stock.

About Omnicom Group

Omnicom Group Inc, together with its subsidiaries, offers advertising, marketing, and corporate communications services. It provides a range of services in the areas of advertising and media, precision marketing, commerce and branding, experiential, execution and support, public relations, and healthcare.