Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires 549,724 Shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) $PG

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group boosted its Procter & Gamble stake by 122.7% in Q4, adding 549,724 shares and bringing its total holding to 997,764 shares worth about $143 million.
• Procter & Gamble’s latest earnings beat expectations, with EPS of $1.59 versus $1.56 expected, and revenue up 7.4% year over year, though sales slightly missed estimates.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.0885 per share, supporting an annualized yield of about 3.0% as analysts maintain a consensus Moderate Buy rating.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 122.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 997,764 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 549,724 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble comprises 0.7% of Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $142,990,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in PG. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1,000.0% in the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 165 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 65.1% in the 4th quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Maseco LLP purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Saranac Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on PG. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $166.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $163.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $157.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $171.00 to $167.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $161.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 5,549 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.29, for a total value of $917,194.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,029 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $170,083.41. This trade represents a 84.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.8%

Procter & Gamble stock opened at $144.50 on Friday. Procter & Gamble Company has a twelve month low of $137.62 and a twelve month high of $170.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $144.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $147.95. The company has a market capitalization of $336.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.13, a P/E/G ratio of 6.19 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

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

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 24th were issued a $1.0885 dividend. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 24th. This represents a $4.35 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Procter & Gamble's 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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