Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 14,624 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB trimmed its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 1.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 893,688 shares of the company's stock after selling 14,624 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble accounts for about 0.6% of Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $152,302,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,807 shares of the company's stock worth $1,812,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Unique Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,738 shares of the company's stock valued at $962,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC raised its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 4,704 shares of the company's stock worth $789,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Financial Corp grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. First Citizens Financial Corp now owns 3,664 shares of the company's stock worth $624,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of the business'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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 25,182 shares in the company, valued at $3,995,627.94. The trade was a 29.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total transaction of $161,380.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 51,965 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,386,111.70. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of PG stock traded down $3.12 on Friday, hitting $160.06. 7,093,816 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,367,457. The firm has a market capitalization of $375.27 billion, a PE ratio of 25.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $156.58 and a one year high of $180.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm's 50 day moving average is $163.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $166.82.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.42 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.52 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st were issued a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.64%. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 21st. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on PG shares. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $190.00 target price (up from $170.00) on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Raymond James cut their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Procter & Gamble from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $200.00 to $181.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $178.86.

Procter & Gamble Company 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.