Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super Sells 63,236 Shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) $PG

Key Points

• Aware Super cut its Procter & Gamble stake by 53.5%, selling 63,236 shares in the third quarter and ending the period with 54,981 shares valued at about $7.99 million.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: 15 analysts rate the stock Buy and 11 Hold, giving it a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $170.57.
• P&G beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting EPS of $2.00 and revenue of $23.28 billion; it also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.0885 per share.

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super decreased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 53.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 54,981 shares of the company's stock after selling 63,236 shares during the quarter. Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $7,988,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PG. Baxter Bros Inc. purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the second quarter valued at approximately $12,381,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the second quarter worth $53,549,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the second quarter worth $3,850,628,000. Capstone Capital Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the third quarter valued at $991,000. Finally, Rokos Capital Management LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the first quarter valued at $29,914,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Freedom Broker upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $176.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $149.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $170.57.

Procter & Gamble News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Procter & Gamble this week:

• Positive Sentiment: P&G has raised its dividend for 70 consecutive years, a track record that supports its appeal to income-focused investors. Article: Procter & Gamble dividend history
• Neutral Sentiment: The company closed a €3.25 billion euro-note offering. The financing provides capital but adds debt obligations; the available report does not specify how the proceeds will be used. Article: Euro note offering
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts note that rising costs and shoppers’ focus on value could make it harder for P&G to sustain growth in premium brands, despite strong loyalty and innovation. Article: Premium brands in a value-seeking market
• Negative Sentiment: Several executives and the chief accounting officer reported share sales. Such transactions can add near-term concern, though insider sales alone do not establish a negative outlook. SEC filing: Insider transaction

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Sundar Raman sold 38,253 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total value of $6,311,745.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 47,745 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,877,925. This trade represents a 44.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Paul Gama sold 2,894 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $477,510.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 43,899 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,243,335. This trade represents a 6.18% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 128,085 shares of company stock valued at $20,696,098. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 1.1%

PG opened at $161.80 on Wednesday. Procter & Gamble Company has a 12 month low of $137.62 and a 12 month high of $167.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $375.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.37, a PEG ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $150.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $149.12.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The company reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $23.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.80 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 31.02% and a net margin of 18.23%. Procter & Gamble's revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.99 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.0885 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Procter & Gamble's payout ratio is currently 65.51%.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

Procter & Gamble Company NYSE: PG is a global consumer products company that develops, manufactures and markets branded products used in households and personal care. Its portfolio includes personal health and grooming products, beauty and skin care items, baby, feminine and family care products, fabric and home care products, and oral care products.

The company's well-known brands include Pampers, Tide, Gillette, Crest, Oral-B, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Olay, Old Spice, Dawn, Febreze and Mr.

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