Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) in a report published on Saturday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the business services provider’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on IPG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $26.50 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 52-week low of $26.30 and a 52-week high of $35.17. The company has a fifty day moving average of $27.82 and a 200-day moving average of $29.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.48 and a beta of 1.11.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. Equities research analysts expect that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is currently 72.13%.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 15.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,844,859 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $943,993,000 after purchasing an additional 3,920,975 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 240.9% in the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 28,862 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $913,000 after acquiring an additional 20,395 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 2,679.9% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 30,523 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $965,000 after acquiring an additional 29,425 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter valued at $1,589,000. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 956.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 104,734 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,313,000 after purchasing an additional 94,821 shares during the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.