Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Hits New 1-Year Low – Here’s Why

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $26.15 and last traded at $26.43, with a volume of 91826 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $26.46.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on IPG shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Argus lowered shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Saturday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $9.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.53 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.58.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. As a group, research analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.97%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to repurchase up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Interpublic Group of Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 2,679.9% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 30,523 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $965,000 after purchasing an additional 29,425 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 48,648 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,539,000 after purchasing an additional 1,721 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 43,630 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,380,000 after purchasing an additional 2,075 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 55.0% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 42,137 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,333,000 after purchasing an additional 14,950 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 31,648 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 3,499 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.