Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Up 0.6%

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)’s stock price traded up 0.6% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $156.98 and last traded at $156.93. 1,640,503 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 6,780,338 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.95.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on PG shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Monday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Raymond James upped their price target on Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Procter & Gamble from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $168.53.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.5 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $371.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.44. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $159.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $152.92. 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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.43 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 34.04% and a net margin of 17.60%. Procter & Gamble’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.37 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a $1.0065 dividend. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 776 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.11, for a total value of $122,693.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,859 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $768,256.49. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 74,443 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.30, for a total value of $11,412,111.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $149,160.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 776 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.11, for a total value of $122,693.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,859 shares in the company, valued at $768,256.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 279,063 shares of company stock valued at $43,187,745. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PG. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.