PPG Industries, Inc. (NYSE:PPG) Shares Acquired by Natixis Advisors L.P.

Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its position in shares of PPG Industries, Inc. (NYSE:PPG) by 10.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 89,706 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,119 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in PPG Industries were worth $13,415,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PPG Industries in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position in PPG Industries by 588.5% in the fourth quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 179 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in PPG Industries during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in PPG Industries in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PPG Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 81.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PPG Industries Stock Up 0.9 %

PPG stock opened at $134.21 on Wednesday. PPG Industries, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $120.32 and a fifty-two week high of $152.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.67, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.30. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $137.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $139.15.

PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86. The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.43 billion. PPG Industries had a net margin of 7.74% and a return on equity of 22.98%. PPG Industries’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that PPG Industries, Inc. will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPG Industries declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, April 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty chemicals company to reacquire up to 8.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

PPG Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. PPG Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.92%.

Insider Transactions at PPG Industries

In related news, CFO Vincent J. Morales sold 3,400 shares of PPG Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.94, for a total value of $479,196.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 28,439 shares in the company, valued at $4,008,192.66. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on PPG. StockNews.com raised PPG Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of PPG Industries from $167.00 to $164.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of PPG Industries from $156.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 19th. Evercore ISI cut PPG Industries from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $152.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on PPG Industries from $149.00 to $148.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.47.

About PPG Industries

PPG Industries, Inc manufactures and distributes paints, coatings, and specialty materials in the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through two segments, Performance Coatings and Industrial Coatings. The Performance Coatings segment offers coatings, solvents, adhesives, sealants, sundries, and software for automotive and commercial transport/fleet repair and refurbishing, light industrial coatings, and specialty coatings for signs; wood stains; paints, thermoplastics, pavement marking products, and other advanced technologies for pavement marking for government, commercial infrastructure, painting, and maintenance contractors; and coatings, sealants, transparencies, transparent armor, adhesives, engineered materials, and packaging and chemical management services for commercial, military, regional jet, and general aviation aircraft.