Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Now Covered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) in a research note issued on Friday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the business services provider’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. UBS Group upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. BNP Paribas upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Argus downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $27.08 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $28.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.80 and a beta of 1.11. Interpublic Group of Companies has a twelve month low of $26.30 and a twelve month high of $35.17.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. Equities research analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to repurchase $155.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to buy up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Interpublic Group of Companies

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of IPG. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 70.3% in the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 253,172 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,008,000 after purchasing an additional 104,514 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 2,679.9% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 30,523 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $965,000 after acquiring an additional 29,425 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 7.4% during the third quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. now owns 12,937 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $409,000 after acquiring an additional 886 shares in the last quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 8.9% during the third quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 12,409 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $393,000 after acquiring an additional 1,015 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.9% during the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 14,058 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $445,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

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.