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

Equities research analysts at StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Argus lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. BNP Paribas upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE IPG opened at $26.47 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.86 billion, a PE ratio of 14.46 and a beta of 1.14. Interpublic Group of Companies has a fifty-two week low of $25.93 and a fifty-two week high of $33.29.

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

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to buy up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Interpublic Group of Companies

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in IPG. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $60,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 243,700.0% during the third quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 2,437 shares during the period. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.