Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:IPG) Shares Acquired by Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ

Key Points

• Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB increased its ownership in Interpublic Group of Companies by 48% during the first quarter, holding shares valued at approximately $3.42 million.
• Several analysts have adjusted their ratings on IPG, with Barclays downgrading it to an "equal weight" rating and lowering the target price to $27.50.
• Interpublic Group announced a quarterly dividend of $0.33 per share, representing an annual dividend yield of 5.20%.

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 48.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 125,767 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 40,810 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ's holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $3,416,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the first quarter worth about $44,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1,219.5% during the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 2,164 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 3,341 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 573 shares during the period. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE IPG traded down $0.38 on Friday, hitting $24.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,934,896 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,043,755. Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.51 and a 12-month high of $33.05. The company has a market capitalization of $8.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.54 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $24.34 and a 200-day moving average of $25.60.

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

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. Interpublic Group of Companies's payout ratio is currently 111.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen initiated coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $27.00 to $25.60 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Barclays downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $34.00 to $27.50 in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $33.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $32.39.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company Profile

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.