Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Hits New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $26.86 and last traded at $26.86, with a volume of 1221007 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $27.53.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on IPG shares. Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.00 price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.50 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Sunday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $32.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Down 3.1 %

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $29.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $9.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.59 and a beta of 1.11.

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

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.95%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.26%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 15.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,844,859 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $943,993,000 after acquiring an additional 3,920,975 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 240.9% in the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 28,862 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $913,000 after buying an additional 20,395 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 29,425 shares during the period. ING Groep NV purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,589,000. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP grew its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 956.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 104,734 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,313,000 after buying an additional 94,821 shares in the last quarter. 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.