Level Financial Advisors Acquires New Position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Level Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 36,470 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,215,000. Procter & Gamble comprises approximately 2.1% of Level Financial Advisors' portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 1,043.6% in the 1st quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 1,075 shares of the company's stock worth $183,000 after purchasing an additional 981 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.3% during the first quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 11,820 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,014,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Bremer Bank National Association increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 9.2% in the first quarter. Bremer Bank National Association now owns 32,044 shares of the company's stock worth $5,461,000 after buying an additional 2,702 shares during the period. Crestmont Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 11.1% in the 1st quarter. Crestmont Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,622 shares of the company's stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Planned Solutions Inc. boosted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Planned Solutions Inc. now owns 4,058 shares of the company's stock valued at $692,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on PG shares. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Procter & Gamble from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Barclays reiterated an "equal weight" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.86.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

NYSE:PG traded down $0.82 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $166.03. The company had a trading volume of 4,935,328 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,305,985. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market cap of $389.26 billion, a PE ratio of 26.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The business's 50 day moving average price is $164.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $167.38. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1-year low of $156.58 and a 1-year high of $180.43.

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

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st were given a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 21st. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is 66.98%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total transaction of $161,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 51,965 shares in the company, valued at $8,386,111.70. This trade represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $1,669,208.40. Following the sale, the insider now owns 25,182 shares in the company, valued at $3,995,627.94. This trade represents a 29.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

About Procter & Gamble

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.