Procter & Gamble Company (The) (PG) – What Are Investment Firms Thinking About This Stock?

Shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-six analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fifteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $170.57.

PG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $169.00 target price on Procter & Gamble in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Argus cut Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, September 21st. Citigroup upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, DZ Bank lowered shares of Procter & Gamble from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.2%

PG stock opened at $168.02 on Friday. Procter & Gamble has a 52 week low of $137.62 and a 52 week high of $170.52. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $153.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $149.82. The company has a market capitalization of $389.43 billion, a PE ratio of 25.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.72.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The company reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.11. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 31.02% and a net margin of 18.23%. The business had revenue of $23.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.99 earnings per share. Procter & Gamble’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Procter & Gamble will post 6.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Investors of record on Friday, October 23rd will be issued a $1.0885 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.35 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.51%.

Key Procter & Gamble News

Investors following PG have been watching these news items:

• Positive Sentiment: Commentary highlights P&G’s essential household brands, strong cash generation and a 70-year streak of dividend increases; one article cited a recent yield of about 2.6%. These qualities may appeal to income-focused investors. Article: Procter & Gamble Has Raised Its Dividend for 70 Straight Years
• Negative Sentiment: CEO El Hak Hesham Abd sold 2,250 shares at an average of $168.47, reducing his direct holding by 20.06% to 8,968 shares. The transaction could raise concerns, though he retains a stake and a sale alone does not establish a change in the company’s outlook. SEC Form 4 filing
• Negative Sentiment: One market commentator preferred Nvidia to P&G, citing P&G’s roughly 23-times earnings valuation. That comparison may weigh on sentiment among investors seeking cheaper growth opportunities. Article: Nvidia at 11X Earnings?

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Shailesh Jejurikar sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.09, for a total value of $5,708,150.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 55,391 shares in the company, valued at $9,033,718.19. This represents a 38.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Sundar G. Raman sold 38,253 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total value of $6,311,745.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 47,745 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,877,925. This represents a 44.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 200,006 shares of company stock valued at $32,715,058 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 22.8% in the 3rd quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,938 shares of the company’s stock worth $463,000 after buying an additional 545 shares during the last quarter. N.F.U. MUTUAL UNIT MANAGERS Ltd purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the third quarter valued at approximately $4,118,000. Disciplined Investors L.L.C. lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 2.8% during the third quarter. Disciplined Investors L.L.C. now owns 3,880 shares of the company’s stock valued at $564,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Bouchey Financial Group Ltd. boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 29.9% in the third quarter. Bouchey Financial Group Ltd. now owns 4,371 shares of the company’s stock valued at $635,000 after acquiring an additional 1,007 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaGrep UK Ltd acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the third quarter valued at approximately $355,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company is a consumer goods company that develops, manufactures and markets products for everyday use. Founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble, the company is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its products span beauty, grooming, health care, fabric and home care, and baby, feminine and family care. Well-known brands include Tide, Pampers, Gillette, Pantene, Olay, Oral-B, Crest, Dawn, Charmin and Bounty. Procter & Gamble sells its products in markets around the world through retail stores, e-commerce platforms and other distribution channels.