The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Shares Acquired by Strong Tower Advisory Services

Strong Tower Advisory Services lifted its position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 16.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,097 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,029 shares during the period. Strong Tower Advisory Services' holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $2,259,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 0.5%

Procter & Gamble stock traded down $0.82 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $166.03. 4,934,286 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,301,868. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $164.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $167.38. The Procter & Gamble Company has a fifty-two week low of $156.58 and a fifty-two week high of $180.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $389.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.44, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.42 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.52 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st were given a $1.0568 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 21st. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.55%. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.98%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the insider now owns 25,182 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,995,627.94. This trade represents a 29.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 51,965 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,386,111.70. The trade was a 1.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 target price on Procter & Gamble and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Procter & Gamble from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $164.00 to $177.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.86.

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.