Procter & Gamble Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:PG)

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders bought 29,788 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 42% compared to the typical daily volume of 21,000 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In related news, COO Shailesh Jejurikar sold 31,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.90, for a total transaction of $5,049,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 9,739 shares in the company, valued at $1,586,483.10. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Procter & Gamble news, COO Shailesh Jejurikar sold 31,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.90, for a total value of $5,049,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 9,739 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,586,483.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 776 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.11, for a total transaction 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 86,865 shares of company stock valued at $14,059,180. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PG. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of PG stock opened at $163.38 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $385.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.70, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.48. Procter & Gamble has a fifty-two week low of $141.45 and a fifty-two week high of $164.32. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $159.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.97.

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

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.46%. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on PG shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $168.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.76.

About Procter & Gamble

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.