Putney Financial Group LLC Takes $489,000 Position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,919 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $489,000.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 321.7% in the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, 10Elms LLP bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of PG traded down $0.43 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $167.33. 5,367,489 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,287,524. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 12-month low of $156.58 and a 12-month high of $180.43. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $164.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $167.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market cap of $392.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.64, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.42 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.52 EPS. Research analysts forecast that The 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 2.53%. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 now owns 51,965 shares in the company, valued at $8,386,111.70. This trade represents a 1.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider now owns 25,182 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,995,627.94. The trade was a 29.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 46,520 shares of company stock valued at $7,909,388 in the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on PG. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Procter & Gamble from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Raymond James reduced their target price on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price 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, Redburn Atlantic downgraded Procter & Gamble from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $161.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $178.52.

About Procter & Gamble

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.