Machina Capital S.A.S. Makes New $825,000 Investment in Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:IPG)

Key Points

• Machina Capital S.A.S. has acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies, purchasing 30,371 shares valued at approximately $825,000 during the first quarter.
• Interpublic Group reported $0.75 earnings per share for the latest quarter, surpassing analysts' estimates of $0.55, despite a 6.6% year-over-year revenue decline.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.33 per share, translating to an annualized dividend yield of 5.07%, with a relatively high dividend payout ratio of 111.86%.

Machina Capital S.A.S. purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 30,371 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $825,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 18.7% in the 1st quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,136 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 651 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 18.3% in the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 36,777 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $999,000 after purchasing an additional 5,680 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $939,000. Tabor Asset Management LP acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $896,000. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 3,307.2% in the 1st quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 947,679 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $25,738,000 after purchasing an additional 919,865 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:IPG traded down $0.34 during trading on Monday, reaching $25.72. 858,248 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,067,007. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07. Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.51 and a 12-month high of $33.05. The firm has a market cap of $9.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.78 and a beta of 1.05. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $24.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.64.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.20. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 28.72% and a net margin of 4.27%. The business had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.61 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.13%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend 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.