Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading 0.7% Higher – What’s Next?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) shares traded up 0.7% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $170.19 and last traded at $170.19. 923,176 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 6,655,963 shares. The stock had previously closed at $168.95.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on PG shares. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Wednesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $159.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $182.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Procter & Gamble in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $189.00 price target for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $171.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $176.21.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.73. The company has a market cap of $403.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.96, a P/E/G ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.41. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $171.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $166.78.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.46% and a net margin of 17.71%. The firm had revenue of $20.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.37 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be given a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 18th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.69%.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 634 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.65, for a total value of $108,826.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 19,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,319,882.65. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 634 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.65, for a total value of $108,826.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 19,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,319,882.65. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Jon R. Moeller sold 7,007 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.65, for a total value of $1,202,751.55. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 269,172 shares in the company, valued at $46,203,373.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 383,194 shares of company stock valued at $65,140,718. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PG. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 64.7% in the 1st quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 196 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the second quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. The company operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, SK-II, and Native brands.