FORA Capital LLC Makes New $1.70 Million Investment in Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (The) $IPG

Key Points

• FORA Capital LLC acquired 62,541 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies, valued at approximately $1.7 million, expanding its position in the first quarter.
• Interpublic Group reported $0.75 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analyst estimates, with a revenue of $2.17 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.33, with a yield of 4.9%, to be paid on September 16th.

FORA Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 62,541 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,699,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the first quarter valued at about $44,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1,219.5% in the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 2,164 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 20.0% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,349 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 391 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company's stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock traded up $0.16 on Monday, hitting $26.85. The stock had a trading volume of 2,410,150 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,475,969. The stock has a market cap of $9.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.75 and a beta of 1.09. 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 52-week low of $22.51 and a 52-week high of $33.05. The company's 50 day moving average price is $25.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.25.

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

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.9%. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 111.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $33.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Barclays cut Interpublic Group of Companies from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $34.00 to $27.50 in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $27.00 to $25.60 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $32.39.

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.