Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:IPG) Shares Sold by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG significantly reduced its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 62.6%, holding 52,058 shares valued at approximately $1.41 million after selling 87,270 shares in the first quarter.
• Interpublic Group recently reported an EPS of $0.75 for the quarter, surpassing estimates, but its quarterly revenue was down 6.6% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.33, which results in an annualized dividend of $1.32 and a yield of 5.4%, although its payout ratio is notably high at 111.86%.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG reduced its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 62.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 52,058 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 87,270 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $1,414,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the first quarter valued at $31,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $44,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1,219.5% during the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 2,164 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 3,341 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 573 shares during the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:IPG opened at $24.23 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $24.35 and a 200-day moving average of $25.55. The firm has a market cap of $8.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.53 and a beta of 1.05. 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 twelve month low of $22.51 and a twelve month high of $33.05.

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

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued 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 is Tuesday, September 2nd. Interpublic Group of Companies's payout ratio is presently 111.86%.

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.

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