Procter & Gamble Company (The) $PG Shares Acquired by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Key Points

• Meiji Yasuda Asset Management increased its Procter & Gamble stake by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, adding 7,854 shares to bring its total to 141,676 shares worth about $20.3 million.
• Insiders moved in opposite direction: CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 5,549 shares at an average price of $165.29, cutting her position by more than 84%.
• PG posted solid quarterly results and raised its dividend, beating EPS estimates at $1.59 per share and lifting its quarterly payout to $1.0885 per share for a 3.0% yield.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its position in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 141,676 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,854 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble comprises approximately 1.0% of Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.'s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $20,304,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Trilogy Capital Inc. raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Trilogy Capital Inc. now owns 6,289 shares of the company's stock worth $901,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Lorne Steinberg Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Lorne Steinberg Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,623 shares of the company's stock worth $376,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Grant Street Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Grant Street Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,627 shares of the company's stock worth $376,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Beech Hill Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Beech Hill Advisors Inc. now owns 14,238 shares of the company's stock worth $2,040,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp now owns 28,113 shares of the company's stock worth $4,029,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 5,549 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 1,029 shares in the company, valued at approximately $170,083.41. This represents a 84.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their target price on Procter & Gamble from $157.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $163.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $179.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Evercore set a $162.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $166.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $161.06.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.7%

NYSE PG opened at $143.40 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $145.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $147.97. Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $137.62 and a one year high of $170.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.73. The company has a market cap of $333.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.97, a P/E/G ratio of 6.11 and a beta of 0.41.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.03. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 32.00% and a net margin of 19.16%.The firm had revenue of $21.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.54 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 24th were issued a $1.0885 dividend. This represents a $4.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 24th. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Procter & Gamble's payout ratio is currently 63.60%.

About Procter & Gamble

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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