Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Lowers Holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 1.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 144,664 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,604 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble accounts for approximately 0.8% of Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.'s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $24,654,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of PG. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 321.7% in the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The stock was 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 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 SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total value 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. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on PG. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $185.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Raymond James cut their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $178.86.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of PG stock traded down $3.12 during trading on Friday, hitting $160.06. The company had a trading volume of 7,093,816 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,367,226. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock's 50-day moving average is $163.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $166.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $375.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52 week low of $156.58 and a 52 week high of $180.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.01. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The company had revenue of $19.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.52 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st were paid a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 21st. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is 66.98%.

About Procter & Gamble

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.