Guinness Atkinson Asset Management Inc Buys 1,209 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Guinness Atkinson Asset Management Inc raised its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 23.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 6,396 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,209 shares during the period. Guinness Atkinson Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $1,072,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Costello Asset Management INC boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2,142.9% during the third quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter worth about $58,000. Mendota Financial Group LLC raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 58.0% in the 4th quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC now owns 376 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 138.7% during the 3rd quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total transaction of $8,604,804.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 39,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,189,463.68. This represents a 54.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.73, for a total value of $2,210,944.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,595 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,804.35. This trade represents a 52.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 73,447 shares of company stock valued at $12,978,820. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of PG stock opened at $161.77 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $169.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $169.44. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $146.28 and a 52-week high of $180.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $380.96 billion, a PE ratio of 27.89, a PEG ratio of 3.63 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.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on PG. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $167.00 to $161.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $176.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.65.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.