The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) have been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the eight analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $30.57.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.00 price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $34.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. UBS Group cut shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $34.00 to $29.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 5th.

Institutional Trading of Interpublic Group of Companies

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of IPG. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 73.8% in the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 883 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 652.2% during the 2nd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 1,038 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of IPG opened at $29.62 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 1-year low of $28.00 and a 1-year high of $35.17. The company has a market capitalization of $11.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.97, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $30.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.67.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 27.76%. The firm’s revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.70 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.26%.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company 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.