The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Purchased by UniSuper Management Pty Ltd

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 23.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 67,003 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,891 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $1,877,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Townsquare Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $215,000. Bridgewater Associates LP raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 956.5% in the third quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 104,734 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,313,000 after acquiring an additional 94,821 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 10.5% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,402,349 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $139,246,000 after acquiring an additional 417,741 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 16,071 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $508,000 after acquiring an additional 1,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC grew its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 311.7% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 137,915 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,362,000 after acquiring an additional 104,420 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE IPG opened at $26.29 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $27.40 and a 200 day moving average of $28.91. The stock has a market cap of $9.80 billion, a PE ratio of 14.37 and a beta of 1.14. 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 Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $25.85 and a 12-month high of $33.05.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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, sell-side analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.02%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.13%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IPG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Argus lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Barclays raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,845,263.86. This represents a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.42% 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.