Hilltop Partners LLC Increases Stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Hilltop Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 13.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,907 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,163 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble accounts for about 0.6% of Hilltop Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Hilltop Partners LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $1,634,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $3,956,117,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 16,209,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,336,552,000 after buying an additional 206,165 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,552,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,546,302,000 after acquiring an additional 554,451 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,571,693 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,402,636,000 after acquiring an additional 246,323 shares during the period. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 6,987,508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,023,949,000 after purchasing an additional 223,798 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of PG opened at $171.54 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $167.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $164.14. The Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $141.45 and a one year high of $171.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market cap of $404.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.03, a PEG ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.41.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.46% and a net margin of 17.71%. The company had revenue of $20.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.37 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, July 19th were paid a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 19th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.35%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is 65.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday. TD Cowen started coverage on Procter & Gamble in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $189.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Dbs Bank lowered Procter & Gamble from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $171.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.79.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 8,842 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.90, for a total value of $1,458,045.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,537 shares in the company, valued at $1,902,451.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 8,842 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.90, for a total transaction of $1,458,045.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,902,451.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Jon R. Moeller sold 72,174 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.01, for a total transaction of $12,342,475.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 263,158 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,002,649.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 375,553 shares of company stock worth $63,829,141. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.