Caxton Associates LLP Takes Position in Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (The) $IPG

Key Points

• Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies by purchasing 96,034 shares valued at approximately $2.6 million in the first quarter of the year.
• In recent analyst ratings, JPMorgan lowered its target price for the stock from $35.00 to $33.00, while Barclays reduced its target significantly from $34.00 to $27.50, indicating mixed outlooks from financial analysts.
• Interpublic Group also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.33 per share, resulting in a 4.9% yield, with a dividend payout ratio of 111.86%.

Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 96,034 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,608,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the first quarter valued at $44,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1,219.5% in the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 2,164 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group increased its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 20.0% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,349 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Down 1.1%

NYSE:IPG traded down $0.31 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $26.40. 3,316,785 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,930,457. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $25.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.51 and a fifty-two week high of $33.05. The firm has a market cap of $9.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.37 and a beta of 1.09.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.20. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 4.27% and a return on equity of 28.72%. The company had revenue of $2.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.61 EPS. The company's revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. Interpublic Group of Companies's payout ratio is 111.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $33.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen raised Interpublic Group of Companies to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 16th. Barclays cut Interpublic Group of Companies from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $34.00 to $27.50 in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $27.00 to $25.60 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $32.01.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Media, Data & Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions. The Media, Data & Engagement Solutions segment provides media and communications services, digital services and products, advertising and marketing technology, e-commerce services, data management and analytics, strategic consulting, and digital brand experience under the IPG Mediabrands, UM, Initiative, Kinesso, Acxiom, Huge, MRM, and R/GA brand names.