Axa S.A. Buys 16,949 Shares of PPG Industries, Inc. (NYSE:PPG)

AXA S.A. raised its holdings in PPG Industries, Inc. (NYSE:PPG - Free Report) by 92.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,240 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 16,949 shares during the quarter. AXA S.A.'s holdings in PPG Industries were worth $4,209,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in PPG Industries during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in shares of PPG Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of PPG Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in PPG Industries during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in PPG Industries in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 81.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PPG Industries Stock Performance

Shares of PPG traded up $0.71 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $109.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,654,754 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,798,767. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.58. PPG Industries, Inc. has a one year low of $90.24 and a one year high of $137.24. The stock's 50-day moving average is $106.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $115.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.82 billion, a PE ratio of 23.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.20.

PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.10. PPG Industries had a net margin of 6.41% and a return on equity of 23.78%. The business had revenue of $3.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.87 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that PPG Industries, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

PPG Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.68 per share. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. PPG Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 58.24%.

Insider Activity at PPG Industries

In other PPG Industries news, CEO Timothy M. Knavish sold 4,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.35, for a total value of $568,080.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 35,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,240,835.55. The trade was a 11.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $126.00 price objective (down previously from $143.00) on shares of PPG Industries in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered PPG Industries from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on PPG Industries from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of PPG Industries from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of PPG Industries from $135.00 to $113.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.83.

PPG Industries Company Profile

PPG Industries, Inc manufactures and distributes paints, coatings, and specialty materials in the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through two segments, Performance Coatings and Industrial Coatings. The Performance Coatings segment offers coatings, solvents, adhesives, sealants, sundries, and software for automotive and commercial transport/fleet repair and refurbishing, light industrial coatings, and specialty coatings for signs; wood stains; paints, thermoplastics, pavement marking products, and other advanced technologies for pavement marking for government, commercial infrastructure, painting, and maintenance contractors; and coatings, sealants, transparencies, transparent armor, adhesives, engineered materials, and packaging and chemical management services for commercial, military, regional jet, and general aviation aircraft.