UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Buys 28,004 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 580.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,832 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,004 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $1,071,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marino Stram & Associates LLC increased its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 26,654 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $870,000 after buying an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 9,607 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 7,364 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 7,364 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 10,923 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IPG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Bank of America cut their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $34.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.25.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

IPG stock traded down $0.36 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $29.57. 7,070,372 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,948,722. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $30.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $27.20 and a 52 week high of $35.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.16 billion, a PE ratio of 10.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.12.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.18 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 29.70%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.38 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.8 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 4th were issued a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 4th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.46%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is currently 46.98%.

Interpublic Group of Companies 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.