Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Down 1.7% – What’s Next?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) shares were down 1.7% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $161.31 and last traded at $162.32. Approximately 1,868,976 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 54% from the average daily volume of 4,062,400 shares. The stock had previously closed at $165.13.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on PG shares. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $179.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $188.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Barclays cut shares of Procter & Gamble from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $163.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $180.45.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 2.7 %

The firm has a market cap of $378.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.75. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $170.21 and its 200 day moving average is $169.85.

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

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th were issued a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 18th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the business’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. The trade was a 54.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.73, for a total transaction of $2,210,944.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,804.35. This trade represents a 52.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 75,439 shares of company stock valued at $13,317,460 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PG. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. The company 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, SK-II, and Native brands.