Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC) Position Increased by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC - Free Report) by 157.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,661 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,690 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Omnicom Group were worth $635,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Omnicom Group by 45.7% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 456 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Omnicom Group by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,228 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. MGO One Seven LLC lifted its stake in shares of Omnicom Group by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 5,075 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $437,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Convergence Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Omnicom Group by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Convergence Financial LLC now owns 2,694 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $232,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Omnicom Group by 146.6% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 328 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Argus lowered shares of Omnicom Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Omnicom Group from $116.00 to $104.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and set a $103.00 target price on shares of Omnicom Group in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Omnicom Group from $117.00 to $104.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Omnicom Group from $99.00 to $84.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $101.29.

Omnicom Group Stock Performance

Shares of OMC stock traded up $1.65 on Tuesday, hitting $73.20. 4,110,148 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,220,421. The company's fifty day moving average is $74.36 and its 200 day moving average is $82.33. Omnicom Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $69.13 and a 1-year high of $107.00. The company has a market capitalization of $14.28 billion, a PE ratio of 9.83, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.90.

Omnicom Group (NYSE:OMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The business services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.07. Omnicom Group had a net margin of 9.44% and a return on equity of 36.39%. The company had revenue of $3.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.73 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Omnicom Group Inc. will post 8.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Omnicom Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. Omnicom Group's payout ratio is 38.30%.

About Omnicom Group

Omnicom Group Inc, together with its subsidiaries, offers advertising, marketing, and corporate communications services. It provides a range of services in the areas of advertising and media, precision marketing, commerce and branding, experiential, execution and support, public relations, and healthcare.