Sonora Investment Management Group LLC Cuts Holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Sonora Investment Management Group LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 79,458 shares of the company’s stock after selling 372 shares during the quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $13,321,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FSA Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $220,000. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 930,651 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,024,000 after purchasing an additional 2,451 shares during the last quarter. Clarity Financial LLC grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Clarity Financial LLC now owns 116,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,558,000 after purchasing an additional 6,175 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC now owns 103,392 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,334,000 after purchasing an additional 2,611 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mediolanum International Funds Ltd grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 36.4% in the fourth quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 321,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,657,000 after purchasing an additional 85,961 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 0.9 %

PG stock opened at $165.98 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $389.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $168.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $169.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52 week low of $153.52 and a 52 week high of $180.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.66 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on PG. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $180.53.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total transaction of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 172,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. This represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total transaction of $8,604,804.48. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,189,463.68. This represents a 54.48 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 151,097 shares of company stock valued at $25,635,076 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

About Procter & Gamble

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.