The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Sold by Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC

Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC lowered its holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 98.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,098 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 1,509,440 shares during the period. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC's holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $871,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. GeoWealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 3,341 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 573 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $102,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total transaction of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,845,263.86. This trade represents a 13.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on IPG. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wall Street Zen initiated coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. They set a "hold" rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, UBS Group raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $33.44.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

IPG traded down $0.05 during trading on Monday, hitting $24.01. 3,920,134 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,208,409. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.12 and a beta of 1.09. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.51 and a 1-year high of $33.05. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $24.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.03. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. The firm had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.98 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.36 EPS. Interpublic Group of Companies's revenue for the quarter was down 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to buyback $155.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to buy up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.50%. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.76%.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company Profile

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Media, Data & Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions. The Media, Data & Engagement Solutions segment provides media and communications services, digital services and products, advertising and marketing technology, e-commerce services, data management and analytics, strategic consulting, and digital brand experience under the IPG Mediabrands, UM, Initiative, Kinesso, Acxiom, Huge, MRM, and R/GA brand names.