Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Now Covered by Analysts at StockNews.com

Analysts at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) in a research report issued on Sunday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on IPG. Argus lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of IPG opened at $28.22 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $27.75 and its 200-day moving average is $29.44. The company has a market capitalization of $10.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.42 and a beta of 1.14. Interpublic Group of Companies has a fifty-two week low of $26.15 and a fifty-two week high of $35.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (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%. Equities research analysts expect that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $155.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to repurchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total transaction of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IPG. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $60,000. 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.