North Dakota State Investment Board Takes $11.55 Million Position in Procter & Gamble Company (The) $PG

Key Points

• North Dakota State Investment Board opened a new position in Procter & Gamble, buying 80,561 shares worth about $11.55 million in the fourth quarter.
• Procter & Gamble reported better-than-expected EPS of $1.59 for the quarter, though revenue of $21.24 billion came in slightly below estimates. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.0885 per share, up from $1.06.
• Wall Street remains cautiously positive on PG, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $161.06, even as some analysts trimmed their targets. The stock was recently trading near $141.68, below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.

North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 80,561 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,545,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Triodos Investment Management BV increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 7.3% during the third quarter. Triodos Investment Management BV now owns 255,095 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,195,000 after buying an additional 17,400 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.6% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 234,630,605 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,050,992,000 after buying an additional 1,419,322 shares during the period. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 820.6% during the third quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 14,803 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,308,000 after buying an additional 13,195 shares during the period. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 32.7% during the third quarter. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. now owns 150,814 shares of the company's stock valued at $23,173,000 after buying an additional 37,198 shares during the period. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 253,089 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,270,000 after buying an additional 28,777 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock opened at $141.68 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $329.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.07 and a beta of 0.41. The company's 50 day moving average is $146.10 and its 200 day moving average is $148.19. Procter & Gamble Company has a twelve month low of $137.62 and a twelve month high of $170.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $21.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.52 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 19.16% and a return on equity of 32.00%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.54 earnings per share. Procter & Gamble has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.830-7.090 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 24th were paid a $1.0885 dividend. This represents a $4.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 24th. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on PG. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $159.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $142.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $142.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $166.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $161.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 5,549 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.29, for a total value of $917,194.21. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,029 shares of the company's stock, valued at $170,083.41. This represents a 84.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 1,809 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.46, for a total transaction of $288,463.14. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 30,215 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,818,083.90. This trade represents a 5.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Profile

Procter & Gamble NYSE: PG is a multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble, P&G has grown into one of the world's largest producers of branded consumer packaged goods. The company focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing a broad portfolio of household and personal care products sold to consumers and retailers worldwide.

P&G's product offering spans several core business categories, including Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric & Home Care, and Baby, Feminine & Family Care.

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