Connors Investor Services Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Connors Investor Services Inc. raised its holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 115.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,982 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,255 shares during the quarter. Connors Investor Services Inc.'s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $3,518,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in PG. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 95.3% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC now owns 207 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Procter & Gamble stock traded up $0.61 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $160.59. The stock had a trading volume of 5,744,311 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,157,717. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $376.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.57, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The firm's 50 day moving average is $167.61 and its 200 day moving average is $168.08. The Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $156.58 and a one year high of $180.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.42 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. Procter & Gamble's quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.52 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.63%. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on PG. Barclays restated an "equal weight" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of Procter & Gamble from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $161.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday. Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered Procter & Gamble from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $179.80.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total value of $6,078,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. The trade was a 61.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total value of $161,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 51,965 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,386,111.70. The trade was a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 54,000 shares of company stock worth $9,330,060. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Profile

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.