IFM Investors Pty Ltd Boosts Holdings in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 5.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 479,802 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 25,951 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble makes up 0.8% of IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $83,102,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 40,068 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,717,000 after purchasing an additional 13,617 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 493.6% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 341,750 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,294,000 after buying an additional 284,174 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 50.4% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 10,360 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,737,000 after buying an additional 3,472 shares during the period. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 309,167 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,832,000 after buying an additional 25,099 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on PG shares. Bank of America cut their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Evercore ISI reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $190.00 price objective (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price target on Procter & Gamble and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on Procter & Gamble from $200.00 to $181.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $178.45.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

NYSE:PG traded down $0.48 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $160.72. The stock had a trading volume of 6,999,589 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,490,519. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $162.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $165.30. Procter & Gamble Company has a 12-month low of $156.58 and a 12-month high of $180.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $376.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.51, a P/E/G ratio of 4.58 and a beta of 0.40.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.01. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.46% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The firm had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.42 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.52 EPS. Procter & Gamble's quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st were issued a $1.0568 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 21st. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.63%. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total transaction of $161,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 51,965 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,386,111.70. The trade was a 1.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $1,669,208.40. Following the transaction, the insider directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.