Procter & Gamble Company (The) $PG Stock Sold by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Key Points

• Commonwealth Equity Services cut its Procter & Gamble stake 6.5% in the third quarter, selling 94,035 shares; it retained 1.34 million shares valued at about $195 million.
• P&G beat quarterly estimates, reporting earnings of $2.00 per share and revenue of $23.28 billion, up 4% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.0885 per share, equivalent to an annualized yield of about 2.6%; analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy,” with a $170.57 average price target.

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,342,501 shares of the company's stock after selling 94,035 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned 0.06% of Procter & Gamble worth $195,039,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PG. Ellis Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.7% during the third quarter. Ellis Investment Partners LLC now owns 8,816 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,281,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Clark Wealth Partners raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter. Clark Wealth Partners now owns 387 shares of the company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel now owns 6,555 shares of the company's stock worth $952,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Whelan Financial boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 3,689 shares of the company's stock worth $536,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KLCM Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc. now owns 7,890 shares of the company's stock worth $1,140,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Procter & Gamble News

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

• Positive Sentiment: P&G recently reached a 52-week high as investors favored reliable dividend-paying consumer-staples companies amid political uncertainty. Its latest reported quarter also beat earnings and revenue estimates, with sales up 4% year over year. Article: Dividend stocks reach highs
• Neutral Sentiment: P&G will webcast its November 19 Investor Day, where its leadership team plans to discuss strategy and the company’s long-term transformation. Investors may look for details on growth plans and execution. Article: Investor Day webcast
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein maintained a Hold rating on PG, suggesting a cautious view rather than a clear near-term catalyst. Article: Bernstein rating
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Andre Schulten sold 33,624 shares, reducing his direct holding by about 34%. Insider sales can weigh on sentiment, although they do not necessarily signal a change in the company’s outlook. Article: CFO share sale
• Negative Sentiment: A comparison of P&G and Colgate-Palmolive flagged rising oil prices and cautious U.S. shoppers as challenges for margins. The report says the companies’ margins are moving in opposite directions but does not specify which direction applies to P&G. Article: P&G and Colgate-Palmolive comparison

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PG opened at $167.15 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average price is $151.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $149.34. The firm has a market cap of $387.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.17, a P/E/G ratio of 4.11 and a beta of 0.36. Procter & Gamble Company has a 52 week low of $137.62 and a 52 week high of $170.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.11. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.23% and a return on equity of 31.02%. The company had revenue of $23.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.80 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.99 EPS. Procter & Gamble's revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 23rd will be paid a $1.0885 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is presently 65.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $166.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $169.00 target price on Procter & Gamble in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Procter & Gamble from $152.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $170.57.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Shailesh Jejurikar sold 35,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.09, for a total transaction of $5,708,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 55,391 shares in the company, valued at $9,033,718.19. The trade was a 38.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Victor Aguilar sold 18,812 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.43, for a total transaction of $3,093,257.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 55,243 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,083,606.49. The trade was a 25.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 161,709 shares of company stock valued at $26,244,058 over the last quarter. 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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