First Manhattan CO. LLC. Sells 12,249 Shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) $PG

Key Points

• First Manhattan CO. LLC. reduced its Procter & Gamble stake by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, selling 12,249 shares and leaving it with 231,763 shares valued at about $33.2 million.
• Institutional ownership in PG remains heavy, with several large investors increasing positions; overall, 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutions.
• Analysts remain generally constructive on Procter & Gamble, with a Moderate Buy consensus and average price target of $160.78, while the company also reported better-than-expected quarterly EPS and raised its dividend.

First Manhattan CO. LLC. cut its holdings in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 231,763 shares of the company's stock after selling 12,249 shares during the period. First Manhattan CO. LLC.'s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $33,214,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in PG. Norges Bank bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,664,783,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1,104.8% during the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 9,521,440 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,364,518,000 after purchasing an additional 8,731,126 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 237,459,756 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,030,358,000 after purchasing an additional 2,829,151 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 100.8% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,460,939 shares of the company's stock valued at $782,607,000 after purchasing an additional 2,741,924 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 26.3% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 10,682,455 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,606,748,000 after purchasing an additional 2,222,560 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $166.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and set a $163.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $158.00 to $164.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $157.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $166.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $160.78.

Procter & Gamble News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: PG’s Herbal Essences brand is launching a limited-edition Papaya + Citrus Strength collection with Love Island’s Amaya, a move aimed at younger consumers and designed to support brand relevance and sales momentum. Procter & Gamble (PG) Launches Herbal Essences Papaya And Citrus Line With Amaya
• Positive Sentiment: Procter & Gamble is expanding retail-media and co-marketing efforts through Albertsons, including an industry-first scripted branded entertainment model, which could strengthen consumer engagement and product visibility. Albertsons Media Collective Unveils Industry-First Branded Entertainment Model, Co-Developed with Procter & Gamble
• Positive Sentiment: PG has recently been trading higher relative to the market, reflecting investor interest in its defensive profile and stable earnings power. Procter & Gamble (PG) Advances While Market Declines: Some Information for Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage highlighting PG as a classic dividend and defensive stock reinforces its appeal to income-focused investors, but does not signal a new catalyst for the shares. 3 Dividend Stocks That Pay You More Every Single Year
• Negative Sentiment: One commentary argued that the stock may be a crowded defensive trade and suggested other cash-flow names may offer better upside, which could weigh on sentiment at the margin. Forget P&G: This Defensive Cash-Flow Powerhouse Just Beat Earnings and Is a Best Buy Today

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

PG opened at $150.39 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $350.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.99, a PEG ratio of 6.63 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a fifty day moving average of $145.12 and a 200 day moving average of $147.76. Procter & Gamble Company has a fifty-two week low of $137.62 and a fifty-two week high of $167.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.73.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $21.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.52 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 19.16% and a return on equity of 32.00%. Procter & Gamble's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.54 earnings per share. Procter & Gamble has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.830-7.090 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 24th were paid a dividend of $1.0885 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 24th. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.35 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is 63.60%.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble NYSE: PG is a multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble, P&G has grown into one of the world's largest producers of branded consumer packaged goods. The company focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing a broad portfolio of household and personal care products sold to consumers and retailers worldwide.

P&G's product offering spans several core business categories, including Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric & Home Care, and Baby, Feminine & Family Care.

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