Advisor Resource Council Makes New $4.93 Million Investment in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG)

Advisor Resource Council acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 28,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,925,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its position in 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 buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. lifted 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock opened at $158.93 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $372.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.23, a P/E/G ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $163.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $166.13. Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $156.58 and a 52-week high of $180.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.50.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.01. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.46% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The business had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS. Procter & Gamble's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st were issued a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.66%. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 21st. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is 66.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Procter & Gamble from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $177.00 in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of Procter & Gamble from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $161.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $200.00 to $181.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $161.00 price target on Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.86.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total transaction of $161,380.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 51,965 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,386,111.70. This trade represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $3,995,627.94. The trade was a 29.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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