Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Increases Stock Holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 9.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,701,975 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 241,517 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble comprises approximately 0.8% of Ensign Peak Advisors Inc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned 0.12% of Procter & Gamble worth $452,986,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Atlantic Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 95.3% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC now owns 207 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock traded down $0.22 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $158.51. 3,376,961 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,205,348. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76. The company has a market cap of $371.63 billion, a PE ratio of 25.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $165.33 and a 200-day moving average of $167.43. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 12 month low of $156.58 and a 12 month high of $180.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $19.78 billion during 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%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.52 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $1.0568 dividend. This is an increase 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 2.67%. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is 66.98%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $1,669,208.40. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 25,182 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,995,627.94. This represents a 29.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was 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. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 64,520 shares of company stock worth $10,999,268. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $160.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Redburn Atlantic lowered Procter & Gamble from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $161.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $209.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $178.52.

Procter & Gamble Company 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.