Aviso Financial Inc. Purchases 2,502 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Aviso Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 11.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 24,854 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,502 shares during the period. Aviso Financial Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $4,167,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Swedbank AB raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,503,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $260,432,000 after buying an additional 56,583 shares in the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 1.0% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 8,327 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,442,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 14.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,734,588 shares of the company’s stock worth $820,031,000 after purchasing an additional 608,168 shares during the last quarter. United Bank lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.7% during the third quarter. United Bank now owns 13,367 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,315,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 43.8% during the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 5,171 shares of the company’s stock worth $896,000 after purchasing an additional 1,575 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:PG opened at $168.50 on Friday. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1 year low of $153.52 and a 1 year high of $180.43. The company has a market cap of $395.10 billion, a PE ratio of 26.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $167.21 and its 200 day moving average is $169.82.

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

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.39%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on PG shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, 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. Seven research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the insider now owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at $28,313,845.76. This represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total value of $6,078,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at $3,829,817.68. The trade was a 61.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008. Company 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.