The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) is Crescent Sterling Ltd.’s 8th Largest Position

Crescent Sterling Ltd. lessened its position in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 4.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,301 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,061 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble comprises 3.7% of Crescent Sterling Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Crescent Sterling Ltd.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $3,630,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PG. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at $5,244,463,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 20,758.5% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,951,456 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,355,087,000 after buying an additional 7,913,335 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth $1,010,685,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 1,195.1% in the fourth quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 3,222,585 shares of the company’s stock worth $580,596,000 after acquiring an additional 2,973,757 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 62.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 7,398,120 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,240,294,000 after acquiring an additional 2,846,560 shares in the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $1,669,208.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 25,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,995,627.94. This represents a 29.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total transaction of $161,380.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 51,965 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,386,111.70. The trade was a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE PG opened at $162.55 on Tuesday. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $156.58 and a 52-week high of $180.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $381.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.88, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $163.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $167.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The business had revenue of $19.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.52 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st were given a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 21st. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on PG shares. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $190.00 price target (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Bank of America dropped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Procter & Gamble from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.86.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.