Avity Investment Management Inc. Increases Holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Avity Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 1,347.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 177,325 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 165,076 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble makes up approximately 2.4% of Avity Investment Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Avity Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $30,220,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of PG. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 933.3% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the 4th 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 period. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their price target on Procter & Gamble from $200.00 to $181.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Raymond James reduced their price target on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Redburn Partners set a $161.00 price objective on Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Royal Bank of Canada raised Procter & Gamble from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $177.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $160.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $178.86.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of PG traded up $1.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $164.01. The company had a trading volume of 5,692,762 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,323,998. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $164.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $167.32. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52 week low of $156.58 and a 52 week high of $180.43. The company has a market capitalization of $384.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43.

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

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st were given a $1.0568 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 21st. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.58%. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is 66.98%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In related news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of the company's 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 transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the company'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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 51,965 shares in the company, valued at $8,386,111.70. This trade represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.