Geode Capital Management LLC Purchases 1,267,419 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 56,472,195 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,267,419 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble accounts for approximately 0.7% of Geode Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $9,457,000,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 95.3% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC now owns 207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock opened at $170.49 on Tuesday. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 12 month low of $153.52 and a 12 month high of $180.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market cap of $399.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $168.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $169.29.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.36%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.01%.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In other news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $28,313,845.76. This trade represents a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total value of $3,089,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,785,274.66. This represents a 44.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Erste Group Bank upgraded Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.82.

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.