Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Acquires 43,148 Shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) $PG

Key Points

• Clark Capital Management Group Inc. increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 9.6%, now holding 492,129 shares valued at $83.87 million after purchasing an additional 43,148 shares.
• Procter & Gamble recently reported $1.48 earnings per share, exceeding the consensus estimate of $1.42, along with a revenue of $20.89 billion for the quarter.
• Analyst ratings for Procter & Gamble show a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $175.12, reflecting confidence despite recent price target adjustments from several firms.

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. grew its stake in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 9.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 492,129 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 43,148 shares during the quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc.'s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $83,869,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Unique Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 2,141 shares of the company's stock worth $365,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Stableford Capital II LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Stableford Capital II LLC now owns 5,817 shares of the company's stock worth $993,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 20.2% during the 1st quarter. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. now owns 375 shares of the company's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. B & T Capital Management DBA Alpha Capital Management lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. B & T Capital Management DBA Alpha Capital Management now owns 2,795 shares of the company's stock worth $476,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,738 shares of the company's stock worth $962,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PG traded up $0.89 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $160.08. 6,435,480 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,113,774. The company has a market capitalization of $374.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $149.91 and a 52-week high of $180.43. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $156.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $162.25.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $20.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.79 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 32.69% and a net margin of 18.95%.Procter & Gamble's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.40 EPS. Procter & Gamble has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.830-7.090 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, July 18th were issued a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 18th. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 64.98%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In related news, COO Shailesh Jejurikar sold 13,039 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.27, for a total transaction of $2,050,643.53. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 28,036 shares in the company, valued at $4,409,221.72. This trade represents a 31.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 10,194 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.16, for a total value of $1,612,283.04. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 34,978 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,532,120.48. The trade was a 22.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 120,181 shares of company stock worth $18,918,012 in the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group set a $180.00 price objective on Procter & Gamble and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $170.00 price target (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Friday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $173.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. BNP Paribas reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $177.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Barclays set a $164.00 price target on Procter & Gamble and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $175.12.

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.