The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Stock Position Raised by Great Lakes Retirement Inc.

Great Lakes Retirement Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,198 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 387 shares during the quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $333,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 30.9% in the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 392,769 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $12,820,000 after purchasing an additional 92,692 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 32.5% in the 3rd quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 99,678 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,857,000 after acquiring an additional 24,459 shares during the period. UBS Group AG raised its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 338,048 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $9,688,000 after acquiring an additional 47,184 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 212.9% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 827,224 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $23,708,000 after purchasing an additional 562,823 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 5.4% during the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 792,531 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $22,714,000 after purchasing an additional 40,889 shares during the period. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on IPG. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $35.78.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 88,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,844,870. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 18,382 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $591,900.40. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 42,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,364,958. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 88,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,844,870. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 249,646 shares of company stock worth $8,038,601 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of IPG traded down $0.15 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $32.62. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,474,594 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,224,604. The company has a market cap of $12.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a fifty day moving average of $32.38 and a 200 day moving average of $31.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.57 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 10.09%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.02 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This is a positive change from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.32%.

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.