Liberty Wealth Management LLC Raises Stock Position in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG)

Key Points

• Liberty Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 593.7% during the first quarter, acquiring an additional 43,602 shares to reach a total of 50,946 shares valued at approximately $8.68 million.
• Procter & Gamble reported an earnings per share of $1.48, exceeding the consensus estimate of $1.42, with quarterly revenue of $20.89 billion, up 1.7% from the previous year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.0568 per share, representing an annualized yield of 2.8%, with a payout ratio of approximately 64.98%.

Liberty Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 593.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 50,946 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 43,602 shares during the period. Liberty Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $8,682,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in PG. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 40,068 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,717,000 after purchasing an additional 13,617 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 493.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 341,750 shares of the company's stock worth $57,294,000 after acquiring an additional 284,174 shares during the last quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at $132,293,000. Oarsman Capital Inc. increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 41.0% during the fourth quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. now owns 7,316 shares of the company's stock worth $1,227,000 after acquiring an additional 2,126 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of PG stock traded up $0.43 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $151.19. 1,449,197 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,214,915. Procter & Gamble Company has a 1-year low of $149.91 and a 1-year high of $180.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $159.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $163.97. The company has a market cap of $354.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 0.37.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.06. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.95% and a return on equity of 32.56%. The company had revenue of $20.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.40 EPS. Procter & Gamble's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be paid a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial decreased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Procter & Gamble from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the company from $164.00 to $177.00 in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $173.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Evercore ISI restated an "in-line" rating and issued a $170.00 price objective (down from $190.00) on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $175.88.

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.