Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Bank of America decreased their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Macquarie restated a “neutral” rating and set a $31.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $36.00 to $33.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their target price for the company from $34.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $26.00 price target (down previously from $28.00) on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.57.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE IPG opened at $29.48 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $31.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $30.69. The company has a market capitalization of $10.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.91, a PEG ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Interpublic Group of Companies has a twelve month low of $28.00 and a twelve month high of $35.17.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 27.76%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.70 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of IPG. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 13.8% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,842,846 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $199,063,000 after buying an additional 828,150 shares during the last quarter. Ariel Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 5,710,448 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $166,117,000 after purchasing an additional 193,898 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.8% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,604,984 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $163,049,000 after purchasing an additional 255,250 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 19.8% during the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 5,436,803 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $158,157,000 after purchasing an additional 899,332 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 7.4% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,277,771 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $72,041,000 after purchasing an additional 157,695 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.