First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Reduces Position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. cut its stake in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 134,488 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,520 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble comprises approximately 0.3% of First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $22,547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fiera Capital Corp raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1,135.1% in the second quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 20,688 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,412,000 after acquiring an additional 19,013 shares during the period. Granite FO LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the second quarter worth about $371,000. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the second quarter worth about $58,000. Wallace Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 5.0% in the second quarter. Wallace Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $496,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the period. Finally, Second Line Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 27.2% in the second quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 2,791 shares of the company’s stock worth $460,000 after acquiring an additional 597 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 3.3 %

Procter & Gamble stock opened at $169.57 on Tuesday. The Procter & Gamble Company has a twelve month low of $153.52 and a twelve month high of $180.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $168.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $169.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $399.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.00, a PEG ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 0.45.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21,657,595.49 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 32.88% and a net margin of 18.35%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.84 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Procter & Gamble to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $209.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $180.53.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,313,845.76. This trade represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total value of $8,604,804.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,189,463.68. The trade was a 54.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 151,097 shares of company stock valued at $25,635,076. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.