Merit Financial Group LLC Buys 24,889 Shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) $PG

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 22.5%, acquiring an additional 24,889 shares, bringing its total holdings to 135,677 shares worth approximately $21.6 million.
• Procter & Gamble reported earnings of $1.48 per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, with revenues reaching $20.89 billion, a 1.7% increase compared to the previous year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.0568 per share, which equates to an annualized dividend of $4.23 and a yield of 2.8%.

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 22.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 135,677 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 24,889 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $21,616,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nova Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 67.9% in the second quarter. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC now owns 178 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the first quarter worth $33,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 566.7% in the first quarter. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 200 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 50.3% in the first quarter. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. now owns 245 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.1%

PG stock opened at $152.19 on Monday. Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $149.91 and a one year high of $180.43. The stock has a market cap of $356.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $155.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $159.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.49.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $20.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.79 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.95% and a return on equity of 32.69%. Procter & Gamble's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.40 EPS. Procter & Gamble has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.830-7.090 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th were issued 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 was Friday, July 18th. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is currently 64.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Berenberg Bank increased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $152.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. BNP Paribas reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $177.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Barclays lowered their price target on Procter & Gamble from $164.00 to $153.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lowered their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $177.00 to $172.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $173.11.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Shailesh Jejurikar sold 13,039 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.27, for a total transaction of $2,050,643.53. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 28,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,409,221.72. This trade represents a 31.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 9,849 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.27, for a total transaction of $1,548,952.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 182,422 shares in the company, valued at $28,689,507.94. This trade represents a 5.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 120,181 shares of company stock worth $18,918,012. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble 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.

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