Two Sigma Investments LP Purchases 16,748 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its stake in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 34.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 65,948 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 16,748 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP's holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $1,848,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 42,496 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,191,000 after purchasing an additional 1,238 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 69.5% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 7,294 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 2,991 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,325,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in 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. Finally, LPL Financial LLC grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 465,454 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $13,042,000 after acquiring an additional 4,177 shares in the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $22.96. 4,570,492 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,441,685. The company has a market cap of $8.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.55 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $24.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.89. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.51 and a fifty-two week high of $33.05.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.98 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.36 EPS. Interpublic Group of Companies's revenue was down 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to buyback $155.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows 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 of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.75%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio is 100.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on IPG shares. Barclays decreased 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 report on Friday, April 25th. Argus downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wall Street Zen started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. UBS Group raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.44.

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.