Spire Wealth Management Boosts Position in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG)

Spire Wealth Management increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 5.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 70,686 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,529 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $12,046,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. boosted its position in Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 0.2%

Procter & Gamble stock traded down $0.25 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $158.73. The company had a trading volume of 7,403,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,374,929. Procter & Gamble Company has a 12 month low of $156.58 and a 12 month high of $180.43. The company has a market capitalization of $372.14 billion, a PE ratio of 25.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.43. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $162.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.42 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.46% and a return on equity of 32.67%. Procter & Gamble's revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.52 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st were given a dividend of $1.0568 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 21st. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.66%. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 25,182 shares in the company, valued at $3,995,627.94. The trade was a 29.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total transaction of $161,380.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 51,965 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,386,111.70. The trade was a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on PG shares. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Redburn Partners set a $161.00 price target on Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays reiterated an "equal weight" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price target on Procter & Gamble and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $178.45.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

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.