Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Increases Position in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG)

Key Points

• Mediolanum International Funds Ltd has increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.3%, now holding 326,054 shares valued at approximately $54.79 million.
• Several hedge funds significantly boosted their positions in Procter & Gamble, including GAMMA Investing LLC, which increased its holdings by an astounding 20,758.5%, now owning over 7.95 million shares worth $1.36 billion.
• Procter & Gamble's quarterly earnings showed an EPS of $1.54, surpassing expectations, although revenues decreased by 2.1% year-over-year to $19.78 billion.

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd boosted its position in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 1.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 326,054 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,134 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble accounts for about 0.8% of Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $54,787,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cladis Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Cladis Investment Advisory LLC now owns 4,807 shares of the company's stock worth $806,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 27,690 shares of the company's stock worth $4,642,000 after buying an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 13.8% in the first quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 37,709 shares of the company's stock worth $6,426,000 after buying an additional 4,562 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 6.0% in the first quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 50,913 shares of the company's stock worth $8,677,000 after buying an additional 2,886 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Yoffe Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $1,874,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $1,669,208.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 25,182 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,995,627.94. This trade represents a 29.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock traded down $2.49 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $154.12. The stock had a trading volume of 2,749,797 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,201,983. The stock's 50 day moving average is $160.68 and its 200 day moving average is $164.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $361.35 billion, a PE ratio of 24.50, a PEG ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 0.40. Procter & Gamble Company has a twelve month low of $151.90 and a twelve month high of $180.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.06. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.46% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The business had revenue of $20.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.40 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, July 18th will be issued a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on PG. Citigroup reduced their price target on Procter & Gamble from $200.00 to $181.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Bank of America reduced their price target 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. UBS Group set a $180.00 price target on Procter & Gamble in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price target on Procter & Gamble and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic cut Procter & Gamble from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $161.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $175.71.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

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.