Procter & Gamble Company (The) $PG Stock Position Cut by Payden & Rygel

Payden & Rygel reduced its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 99.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 580 shares of the company's stock after selling 56,120 shares during the period. Payden & Rygel's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $84,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of PG. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,862,105,000. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 102,216,308 shares of the company's stock worth $14,988,999,000 after buying an additional 965,461 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the second quarter valued at about $3,850,628,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the second quarter worth $2,281,505,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 11,797,916 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,704,182,000 after buying an additional 300,280 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE PG opened at $161.42 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $149.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $148.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.72. Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $137.62 and a 52-week high of $167.25. The company has a market cap of $374.14 billion, a PE ratio of 24.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.39.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The company reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.11. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 31.02% and a net margin of 18.23%. The firm had revenue of $23.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.99 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.0885 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Procter & Gamble's payout ratio is currently 65.51%.

Procter & Gamble News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Procter & Gamble this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Freedom Broker upgraded PG from “hold” to “buy,” providing a positive signal for the stock and reflecting greater confidence in the company’s outlook. Freedom Broker upgrades Procter & Gamble to buy from hold
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend appeal remains strong: Articles highlighted PG as a long-standing dividend leader, supporting its appeal to income-focused and defensive investors. The company’s record of dividend increases may help underpin demand for the shares, particularly when investors favor stable consumer-staples businesses. Dividend Kings article Trusted dividend stocks article
• Neutral Sentiment: Bond issuance adds balance-sheet context: PG’s euro- and dollar-denominated bond sale provides liquidity and funding flexibility, but it also draws attention to leverage, interest costs, and the company’s relatively elevated valuation. Procter & Gamble bond sale
• Neutral Sentiment: Growth story under review: Commentary on PG points to accelerating revenue growth, while also noting that higher operating costs could pressure margins and earnings. Investors are weighing improved sales momentum against cost inflation. Procter & Gamble revenue growth and costs What changed in Procter & Gamble’s story
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed rating signals and valuation risk: DZ Bank downgraded PG from “strong-buy” to “hold.” With shares trading at a premium valuation, a more cautious analyst stance could weigh on upside unless earnings growth accelerates. DZ Bank rating change
• Negative Sentiment: Advertising challenge produced only a limited win: Following PG’s challenge, the National Advertising Division supported Carpe’s $19.95 reference price but recommended changes or removal of other savings, free-shipping, comparative-performance, and “first” 100-hour protection claims. The outcome may modestly strengthen competitive advertising standards, but it does not represent a material financial catalyst for PG. National Advertising Division decision involving Carpe

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $152.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $145.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $150.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. UBS Group set a $166.00 target price on Procter & Gamble in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, DZ Bank lowered shares of Procter & Gamble from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $170.57.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 4,181 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.71, for a total transaction of $671,928.51. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 11,296 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,815,380.16. This represents a 27.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 4,030 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.79, for a total value of $579,473.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 187,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,888,873.79. This represents a 2.11% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last three months, insiders sold 58,647 shares of company stock worth $9,268,508. Insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Company NYSE: PG is a global consumer products company that develops, manufactures and markets branded products used in households and personal care. Its portfolio includes personal health and grooming products, beauty and skin care items, baby, feminine and family care products, fabric and home care products, and oral care products.

The company's well-known brands include Pampers, Tide, Gillette, Crest, Oral-B, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Olay, Old Spice, Dawn, Febreze and Mr.

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