Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Purchases 1,056 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 32,475 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,056 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $1,060,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 85.6% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 229,511 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,491,000 after buying an additional 105,858 shares during the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 30.9% during the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 392,769 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $12,820,000 after acquiring an additional 92,692 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 32.5% during the 3rd quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 99,678 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,857,000 after acquiring an additional 24,459 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its position 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 worth $9,688,000 after acquiring an additional 47,184 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 212.9% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 827,224 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $23,708,000 after buying an additional 562,823 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of IPG stock opened at $31.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $27.20 and a 52-week high of $40.95. The company has a market capitalization of $11.76 billion, a PE ratio of 11.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.13. The business’s fifty day moving average is $31.91 and its 200 day moving average is $31.35.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.18 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 29.80% and a net margin of 9.97%. The firm’s revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.38 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.77 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. This is a boost from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.98%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 18,382 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $591,900.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 42,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,364,958. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $4,842,976.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at $13,387,987.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 18,382 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 249,646 shares of company stock valued at $8,038,601. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on IPG. UBS Group began coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.13.

Interpublic Group of Companies Profile

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.