Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading 0.3% Higher – Still a Buy?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) was up 0.3% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $167.60 and last traded at $166.66. Approximately 935,229 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 7,303,860 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.23.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $180.53.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 0.9 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $168.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $169.39. The firm has a market cap of $389.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.43, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The company had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. Procter & Gamble’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is 64.01%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were 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 owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. This represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of Procter & Gamble 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 39,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,189,463.68. This trade represents a 54.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 151,097 shares of company stock valued at $25,635,076. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 6,567 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,137,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 416.1% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 1,818,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $315,016,000 after buying an additional 1,466,115 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 479,545 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,057,000 after acquiring an additional 29,799 shares during the last quarter. Trinity Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 18.5% in the 3rd quarter. Trinity Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $661,000 after acquiring an additional 595 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wiser Wealth Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 25.2% in the third quarter. Wiser Wealth Management Inc now owns 3,047 shares of the company’s stock worth $528,000 after acquiring an additional 613 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

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.