Squarepoint Ops LLC Has $12.55 Million Stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 50.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 447,935 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 150,303 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Interpublic Group of Companies worth $12,551,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of IPG. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. GeoWealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 3,341 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 573 shares during the period. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $102,000. Institutional investors own 98.43% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IPG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen began coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Argus downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays cut their target price on 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. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, UBS Group raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.44.

Insider Activity at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total transaction of $574,672.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE IPG traded down $0.00 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $24.48. 1,311,406 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,199,847. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.51 and a fifty-two week high of $33.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market cap of $9.05 billion, a PE ratio of 13.37 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.07.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.98 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.36 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.39%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. Interpublic Group of Companies's payout ratio is presently 100.76%.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to repurchase $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to buy up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.