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

Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 50.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 447,935 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying 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 SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 139.5% during the fourth quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 13,210,446 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $370,157,000 after buying an additional 7,693,636 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 13.0% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 12,975,872 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $363,584,000 after purchasing an additional 1,492,019 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,938,530 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $362,538,000 after purchasing an additional 511,607 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 10,264,732 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $287,618,000 after purchasing an additional 1,320,345 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,531,530 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $266,614,000 after purchasing an additional 81,996 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company's stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

NYSE IPG opened at $24.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market cap of $8.89 billion, a PE ratio of 13.14 and a beta of 1.09. 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 firm's fifty day moving average price is $25.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.21.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.03. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. The firm had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.98 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.36 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.49%. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.76%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on IPG shares. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Argus downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday. They set a "hold" rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $33.44.

Insider Transactions at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.

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