Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) Short Interest Update

Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) was the target of a large growth in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 23,373,932 shares, a growth of 23.3% from the January 15th total of 18,958,988 shares. Currently, 1.0% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 12,517,652 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days. Based on an average trading volume of 12,517,652 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days. Currently, 1.0% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $177.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, October 27th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $156.00 to $179.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.33.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PG opened at $159.40 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The company has a market capitalization of $370.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.32 and a beta of 0.38. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $147.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $150.53. Procter & Gamble has a one year low of $137.62 and a one year high of $179.99.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 32.21% and a net margin of 19.30%.The business had revenue of $22.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.88 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. Procter & Gamble has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.830-7.090 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Procter & Gamble will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 23rd were given a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 23rd. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.00, for a total transaction of $1,264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 6,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,038,218. The trade was a 54.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Jon R. Moeller sold 162,232 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.45, for a total transaction of $26,354,588.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 319,385 shares in the company, valued at $51,884,093.25. The trade was a 33.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 341,260 shares of company stock worth $54,256,985. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PG. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1,000.0% in the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Park Square Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 65.1% during the 4th quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1,315.4% during the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) is a multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble, P&G has grown into one of the world’s largest producers of branded consumer packaged goods. The company focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing a broad portfolio of household and personal care products sold to consumers and retailers worldwide.

P&G’s product offering spans several core business categories, including Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric & Home Care, and Baby, Feminine & Family Care.