Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Raises Stake in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG)

Key Points

• Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 4.5%, now owning over 1.85 million shares valued at approximately $316 million.
• Recent analyst ratings reflect a mix of optimism and caution, with Procter & Gamble receiving an average target price of $175.88 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Procter & Gamble announced a quarterly dividend of $1.0568 per share, representing a yield of 2.8%, scheduled for payment on August 15th.

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 4.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,856,447 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 79,457 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned approximately 0.08% of Procter & Gamble worth $316,376,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Haven Private LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 1st quarter valued at about $204,000. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 990,180 shares of the company's stock valued at $168,746,000 after purchasing an additional 3,346 shares in the last quarter. Argent Trust Co lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 138,946 shares of the company's stock valued at $23,679,000 after purchasing an additional 1,109 shares in the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 7,360 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,254,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 25,649 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,371,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on PG. Bank of America reduced their target price on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Procter & Gamble from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $170.00 target price (down from $178.00) on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Procter & Gamble from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $177.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reduced their target price on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $175.88.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.1%

PG opened at $150.65 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $159.83 and its 200-day moving average is $164.02. The company has a market capitalization of $353.20 billion, a PE ratio of 23.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.70. Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $149.91 and a one year high of $180.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 32.56% and a net margin of 18.95%. The business had revenue of $20.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.40 earnings per share. Procter & Gamble's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be issued a $1.0568 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is 64.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 sale, the insider directly owned 25,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,995,627.94. This represents a 29.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company 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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