Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Up 0.5% – Should You Buy?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) was up 0.5% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $162.40 and last traded at $162.07. Approximately 4,971,857 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 24% from the average daily volume of 6,561,916 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.30.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on PG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $179.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Procter & Gamble to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $176.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays cut shares of Procter & Gamble from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $163.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.75.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 2.1 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $169.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $169.57. The stock has a market cap of $373.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.45.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The company reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $21.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.99 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.07% and a return on equity of 33.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.83 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total value of $8,604,804.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 39,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,189,463.68. This represents a 54.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 1,992 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $338,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 13,783 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,343,110. The trade was a 12.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 75,439 shares of company stock worth $13,317,460. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter valued at about $44,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.