Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) Shares Sold by Retirement Systems of Alabama

Retirement Systems of Alabama decreased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 1.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,019,702 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,895 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble comprises 0.7% of Retirement Systems of Alabama's holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Retirement Systems of Alabama's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $173,778,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 229,794,073 shares of the company's stock worth $38,524,976,000 after acquiring an additional 1,592,061 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 56,472,195 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,457,000,000 after purchasing an additional 1,267,419 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $5,244,463,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 29,395,208 shares of the company's stock worth $4,928,107,000 after purchasing an additional 2,703,757 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Procter & Gamble by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,197,996 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,386,194,000 after buying an additional 1,209,275 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

NYSE PG traded up $0.91 on Friday, hitting $158.93. The company had a trading volume of 16,056,110 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,421,378. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The company has a market capitalization of $372.62 billion, a PE ratio of 25.23, a PEG ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 0.43. Procter & Gamble Company has a 12-month low of $156.58 and a 12-month high of $180.43. The company's fifty day moving average price is $163.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $166.25.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st were given a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 21st. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.14%.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In other news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 25,182 shares in the company, valued at $3,995,627.94. This represents a 29.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total transaction of $161,380.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 51,965 shares in the company, valued at $8,386,111.70. The trade was a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PG has been the subject of several research reports. Redburn Partners set a $161.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price target on Procter & Gamble and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered their target price on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $178.86.

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.